





9 





1 


t 









. 









































































































































\ 































































HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


























































. 


HISTORY 


OF 

TIFT COUNTY 

By Ida Belle Williams 



PRINTED BY 

THE J. W. BURKE COMPANY 


MACON. GEORGIA 





COPYRIGHTED 1948 
TIFT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 


fUKEIVBt 

NOV 2 6 1948 




'OFY RIGHT 


28546 



With admiration we dedicate this volume of the Tift County 
History to the memory of the founder of Tifton, an unselfish 
builder, a generous contributor to all good causes, a great bene¬ 
factor, a great man—HENRY HARDING TIFT. 


HENRY HARDING TIFT 
Founder of Tifton 







APPRECIATION 

I wish to emphasize my appreciation of everyone who helped me in the 
compiling of the “History of Tift County.” It is impossible to name every¬ 
one, but among the number are the following: Mr. J. L. Williams, Mrs. 
Elizabeth Pickard Karsten, and Mr. Bob Herring, all of the editorial staff 
of Tift County History; Mrs. N. Peterson, Mrs. Dan Sutton, Mr. C. C. 
Guest, Miss Laura Guest, Mr. H. Carmichael, Mrs. Bob Herring, Mrs. 
Briggs Carson, Sr., Mrs. Peggy Herring Coleman, Mr. A. B. Phillips, 
Mrs. Weetie Tift Rankin, Mrs. Robert Heinsohn, Mr. H. D. Webb, Mrs. 
D. M. Braswell, Miss Corrinne Tucker and her students, the Tifton High 
School commercial department; Miss Elmina McKneely, Mrs. Frank 
Corry, Sr., Mrs. D. B. Harrell, Mr. L. E. Bowen, Sr., Dr. L. A. Baker, 
Mrs. Paul Fulwood, Sr., Mr. Paul Fulwood, Sr., Miss Billy Jean Pear- 
man, Mrs. R. E. Jones, Miss Eulala Tyson, Mrs. Elizabeth Turlington 
White, Miss Jean Colley, Mr. Phillip Kelley, the Chamber of Commerce, 
Mrs. W. L. Harman, Mrs. J. G. Fulwood, Mr. Y. Sutton, Mr. Elias 
Branch, Mr. John Henry Hutchinson, Mr. Earle Smith, Mr. Fred Shaw, 
Mrs. Louise Griner, Dr. Sanders, Dr. S. W. Martin, Mr. George King, 
Mrs. Ralph Johnson, Miss Leola Greene, Mr. Ben McLeod, Mrs. Hazel 
Whittington Fowler, Miss Mary Lillian Willis, Mrs. Maude Thompson, 
Mr. George Branch, Mrs. Susie T. Moore, Mrs. R. Eve, Judge Eve, 
Major Steve Mitchell, Miss Cassie Goff, Mrs. Katherine Tift Jones, Mr. 
Frank Smith, and all other members of the Tift County Historical Society. 
I found the task of writing the “History of Tift County” very interesting. 

We extend sincere appreciation to the following for donations received 
by Judge R. Eve, for and in behalf of Tift County Historical Society: E. P. 
and L. E. Bowen, T. W. Tift (Egan, Ga.), City of Tifton, County of 
Tift, Mrs. Pearl Myers, Mrs. Robt. A. Balfour (nee Debbie McCrea, 
Thomasville), Harry Hornbuckle, Mrs. Susie T. Moore, Mrs. Lillian 
Britt Heinsohn (nee Lillian Britt, Thomasville), A. B. Phillips, Joe Kent, 
Sr. 


Ida Belle Williams. 

For permission to use copyrighted material, I am grateful to the follow¬ 
ing: 

McCall Corporation, for “Adopting a Rural School,” by Myra G. Reed. 

Mrs. Lillie Clements, for Judge J. B. Clements’s “History of Irwin 
County.” Published by Foote and Davies. 

Oklahoma Press, for Debo’s “Road to Disappearance” and Caughev’s 
“McGillivray of the Creeks;” 

Mrs. Lillie Martin Grubbs, for her book, “History of Worth County,” 
published by the J. W. Burke Co. 

vii 


Columbia University Press, for Phillips’ “History of Transportation in 
the Eastern Cotton Belt to i860;” 

E. Coulter, for his book, “A Short History of Georgia,” published by 
University of North Carolina Press; 

American Historical Society, for Cooper’s “History of Georgia;” 

R. P. Brooks, for his “History of Georgia,” published by Atkinson, 
Mentger and Company; 

Mrs. Lucian Lamar Knight, for Lucian Lamar Knight’s “Georgia Land¬ 
marks, Memorials, and Legends,” published by Byrd Printing Company; 

I am also indebted to the Smithsonian Institute for Swanton’s “Early 
History of the Creek Indians and their Neighbors;” 

Oklahoma Historical Society, for “Chronicles of Oklahoma,” June 1932; 

White’s “Statistics of Georgia,” published by T. Williams, copyrighted; 

Jones’s “History of Georgia,” published by Houghton, Mifflin and Com¬ 
pany, copyrighted; 

to the entire staff ar.d files of the Tifton Gazette, to Miss Leatrice Fore¬ 
man, librarian of Tifton High School, to the Herrings for J. L. Herring’s 
“Saturday Night Sketches,” and to Carnegie Library, Atlanta, for Wat- 
kin’s Digest. 

Ida Belle Williams 


Appreciation 

of 

The Tift County Historical Society 
is expressed 
to 

Ida Belle Williams, M.A., 

Editor-in-Chief 

of 

The History of Tift County 

Miss Williams has for fifteen years taught English in the Tifton High 
School, of which, for the last five years, she has been the capable and be¬ 
loved principal. Her feature articles on many subjects have long appeared 
in the press. Her present work adds another blossom to her bouquet of 
achievements. 

By Elizabeth Pickard Karsten for the Tift County Historical Society. 

viii 


Manv 


Thanks are expressed 
to 

our highly esteemed 
Judge Raleigh Eve, 
appointed 
by 

The Grand Jury 
official 

Tift County Historian 
He, with characteristic executive acumen, 
organized 

The Tift County Historical Society, 
of ;vhich he is 
President, 

appointed committees, 
selected writers, 
and arranged for the 
publication 
of 

The History of Tift County. 

E. Pickard Karsten 


IX 






















. 











TABLE OF CONTENTS 


Page 

Chapter I 

Footsteps of the Creek Indians_ i 

Chapter II 

Footsteps of “Pale Faces” __ 13 

Chapter III 

Footsteps of Early Settlers_ 18 

Chapter IV 

The Founding of Tifton_23 

Chapter V 

Wire Grass in the Eighties_ 30 

Chapter VI 

“The Gay Nineties”_34 

Chapter VII 

The Early Nineteen Hundreds_53 

Chapter VIII 

Tift County_61 

Chapter IX 

Agricultural School_66 

Chapter X 

Progress from 1910-1917- 7 $ 

Chapter XI 

“World Earthquake”—World War I- 86 

xi 














Chapter XII 


Page 


The Turbulent Twenties 


90 


Chapter XIII 


The Depression 


96 


Chapter XIV 

World War II—Second “World Earthquake”-in 

Chapter XV 

Post-War Events—Atomic Era----126 

Chapter XVI 

Small Towns___13 2 


Brighton—Brighton Community—Mr. and Mrs. Elbert Fletcher—Mr. 
and Mrs. Henry Sutton—Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Walker—Brookfield— 
Bishop Arthur Moore—Chula—“A Lone Soldier in Gray”—Eldorado— 
Excelsior District—Harding—Mr. and Mrs. Dan Fletcher—Mr. and Mrs. 
John Goff—Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Hall—Mr. and Mrs. Azor Paulk—Omega 
—Ty Ty. 


Chapter XVII 

Tifton and Tift County Education_162 

Introduction—Annie Bell Clark School—G. O. Bailey, Jr.—W. L. Bryan 
—Mrs. J. E. Cochran—A. H. Moon—R. E. Moseley—Jason Scarboro— 
John C. Sirmons—Ida Belle Williams—Mrs. Dan Sutton—Miss Follis— 
Miss Shaw—Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and Preceding In¬ 
stitution—Abraham Baldwin—Tift County Industrial School—W. R. 
Smith—R. F. Kersey—W. L. Harman—Charles Harman—Faculty of Tift 
County Schools 1946-47 —Superintendents of Education (Tift County)— 
Present County Board of Education—M. H. Mitcham—Charles Luther 
Carter—Charles F. Hudgins—W. T. Bodenhamer—Alton Ellis—Mrs. 
Nicholas Peterson—Conclusion. 


Chapter XVIII 


Churches_204 

Brookfield Baptist Church—First Baptist Church of Tifton—Chula Bap¬ 
tist Church—Ty Ty Baptist Church—Zion Hope—Bessie Tift Chapel— 
The Tifton Primitive Church—St. Anne’s Episcopal Church—Hickory 
Springs Church—Brookfield Methodist Church—Chula Methodist—Hard¬ 
ing Methodist Church—Mt. Calvary Methodist Church—Oak Ridge 
Methodist Church—Tifton Methodist Church—Church of Nazarene— 
New River Church—Presbyterian Church—Salem Church—T urner 
Church. 


xii 









Chapter XIX 


Page 

Clubs __226 

Boy Scouts—Gun Lake Country Club—Tifton Lions Club—Primrose 
Garden Club—Tifton’s First and Second Kiwanis Club—Chamber of 
Commerce—Tifton Garden Club—The Country Club—Garden Center— 
Parent-Teacher’s Association—United Daughters of the Confederacy— 
Tifton County Welfare—Tifton Masonic Lodge No. 47 —Tifton Shrine 
Club—Veterans of Foreign Wars—Woodmen of the World—Tifton 
Junior Woman’s Club—Tifton Music Club—Twentieth Century Library 
Club—Rotary Club—Tift County Post 21 The American Legion. 


Chapter XX 


Whp’s Who in Tift County___258 

S. J. Akers—L. S. Alfriend—G. O. Bailey, Jr.—L. E. Bowen, Sr.—Elias 
Branch—W. P. Bryan—Annie Bell Clark—Ethel Clements,—Josie Clyatt 
(Mrs. Jim Clyatt)—Nathan Coarsey—Peggy Herring Coleman—George 
P. Donaldson—Judge R. Eve—Paul Dearing Fulwood, Sr.—Ruth Vickers 
Fulwood (Mrs. P. D. Fulwood, Sr.)—Mrs. J. J. Golden—Leola Judson 
Greene—Mrs. W. S. Harman—Dr. W. H. Kendricks—Joseph Kent— 
George Harris King—Harry Kulbresh—Bishop Arthur Moore—Susie T. 
Moore—R. C. Patrick—Mrs. J. A. Peterson, Sr.—Mrs. Nicholas Peterson 

T. E. Phillips, Sr.—Dr. Franklin Pickett—Mrs. J. W. Poole—D. C. 
Rainey—Mrs. W. T. Smith—Mrs. Dan Sutton—John Y. Sutton—Amos 
Tift—E. L. Webb—Ida Belle Williams—J. L. Williams. 


Chapter XXI 

Some of the Tift County Boys Who Made the Supreme 

Sacrifice in World War II_270 

Garland Anderson—Tilton Edward Belflower—Winford Elijah Evans— 
Reuben G. Funderburk—Russell Leonard Garner—Ollie E. Gibbs—Ralph 
Gibbs—Curtis Mathews—Charles William Mathews—Alvin McKinney— 
Sidney Neighbors—Charles Edwin Patton—Robert B. Powledge—Fred¬ 
erick E. Sears—George Sutton—Pfc. Durward Lee Willis. 


Chapter XXII 


Wire Grass Journalism_;-279 

J. T. Maund—Ty Ty Echo—B. T. Allen—Tifton Gazette—Quaint Writ¬ 
ing in Gazette of 1892 —John L. Herring—John Greene Herring—Bob 
Herring—Leola Judson Greene—Gus Pat Adams—Omega News—Lucy 
Maude Thompson—“A Wire-Grass Easter” (from Saturday Night 
Sketches’’)—The Tifton Free Press—J. L. Williams—Elizabeth Pickard 
Karsten. 


Chapter XXIII 

Tift County Agriculture-292 

Agriculture—Tobacco in Tift County—Mrs. Paul Fulwood, Sr.—Paul 
Dearing Fulwood, Sr. 

xiii 







Chapter XXIV 


Page 

Industries---3°6 

The Southern Cotton Oil Company—Armour Enters Tifton Territory— 
Tifton Cotton Mills—Tifton Coca-Cola Bottling Company. 


Chapter XXV 


Miscellaneous—Part I _309 

Facts compiled by the Chamber of Commerce—The Bench and the Bar 
—Tifton County Representatives and Senators—Mayors and City Man¬ 
agers of Tifton—Airport—Stephen A. Youmans—Frank Henry Smith— 
George Washington Coleman—Tifton Post Office—Union Road—Chase 
Salmon Osborn—Christie Bell Kennedy—Florence Karsten Carson—An 
Appreciation of Tifton—Tift County Officers—Coastal Plain Experiment 
Station—Silas Starr. 


Chapter XXVI 


Miscellaneous—Part II _341 

Negro Pioneers—Negro Citizens—Negro Churches—Joe Reeves. 


Chapter XXVII 

True Tales of Wire Grass Georgia_348 

Tifton’s First Tornado—Tribute to J. L. Herring—Tifton’s First Radio 
Station—Tifton’s First Automobile—Tifton’s First Filling Station—When 
Tifton Was Dry—The Key Man of Tifton in 1899—The Progressive 
Minister—The Horned Negro of Tifton—Candidates Running for Office 
—How the First Session of Tift County Court Was Paid For—City Elec¬ 
tion for Mayor—When Tifton Had Seventeen Lawyers and One Preacher 
—Big Hog Dan Walker—Grammar School Block When the Circus Came 
to Tifton—John H. Sparks—The Vamberg Shows—When Life Began 
for Me. 


Chapter XXVIII 

Tift County Pioneers—Appreciation_*_363 

B. T. Allen—Joseph J. Baker—William W. Banks—Mary Evelyn Town 
Banks—Annie Fogler Bennett—Frederick G. Boatright—George Wash¬ 
ington Bowen—Enoch Piercel Bowen—Irwin W. Bowen—Isaac Stephen 
Bowen—Branch Family—Elias Branch—Britt Family—Edward Buck— 
Thomas Carmichael—Briggs Carson, Sr.—Charlotte Carson—Captain 
Lemuel Chesnutt and Family—Samuel Clyatt—Churchwells—Tames E. 
Cochran—Abraham Conger—Abraham Benjamin Conger—Virgil Francis 
Dinsmore—John Duff—Raleigh Eve—Fletchers—Daniel Fulwood—C. W. 
Fulwood—James S. Gaulding—Jack Gaulding—Greene Family (James, 
John, Leola)—Gibbs Family—J. J. Golden—Dr. John Goodman—Kather¬ 
ine Tift Jones—C. C. Guest—R. E. Hall—W. T. Hargrett—W. L. Har¬ 
man—W. H. Hendricks—J. L. Herring—C. B. Holmes— B. C. Hutchin¬ 
son—J. H. Hutchinson—J. L. Gay, Jr.—George W. Julian—Kent Family 
—Belle Willingham Lawrence—W. H. Love—J. T. Mathis—Dr. John 


xiv 







Arch McRae—Perryman Moore—Susie T. Moore—Sylvester Murray— 
Tillou Bacon Murrow—Irvine Myers—Henry Myers—B. H. McLeod— 
McMillan Family—Silas and Duncan O’Quinn—Overstreets—Padrick 
Brothers—Thomas J. Parker—Jacob Marion Paulk—Anne Catherine 
Register Paulk—Dr. John A. Peterson—Dr. Nichols Peterson—J. J. L. 
Phillips—John A. Phillips—T. E. Phillips—Florence Willingham Pickard 
—William L. Y. Pickard—J. L. Pickard—John Milton Price—S. G. Slack 
—Jason Scarboro—Matthew Sylvester Shaw—Edna Cox Shaw—Fred 
Shaw—Luther Smith Shepherd and Larkin G. Maynard—George Alfred 
Brannon Smith—Robley D. Smith—W. T. Smith—Walter Crawford 
Spurlin—Nelson Tift—Henry Harding Tift—E. H. Tift—Bessie Wil¬ 
lingham Tift—Henry Harding Tift, Jr.—Amos Tift—Thomas Willing¬ 
ham Tift—W. O. Tift—W. H. Timmons—E. L. Vickers—Jonathan 
Walker—The Warrens—William Wiley Webb—Whiddon Family—C. A. 
Williams—Cecelia Matilda Bavnard Willingham—Margaret Willingham 
Wood—E. E. Youmans. 


xv 


TIFT COUNTY HISTORY 

Illustrations 

Page 

Henry Harding Tift ... v 

Judge Raleigh Eve... x * x 

Editorial Staff ...-.-. xx * 

Commissary Established in 1872 . 24 

Camp Fire Girls of the “Gay Nineties” ... 35 

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural School . 69 

Tift Theater ..-. 97 

Mrs. Susie T. Moore, Mrs. Nichols Peterson, Mrs. Paul Fulwood, Sr. 100 

Tifton Street Scenes; Entrance to Fulwood Park and Home of 
Mr. and Mrs. Paul D. Fulwood, Sr.; Woman’s Club and 

Public Library; Street Scene Shriners’ Parade . 108 

Tifton Frozen Foods, Tifton Cotton Oil Company. 112 

Air View of Omega ..-.,. 153 

Tifton Grammar. Junior High, and Senior High Schools . 163 

Tifton High Band and Glee Club .. 167 

One-Room School attended by Bishop Arthur Moore, 

Omega School, Brookfield School . 181 

E. L. Patrick, R. G. Harrell, W. D. Doss, M. H. Evans, J. C. Branch. 185 

First Corps of Tift County Teachers . 187 

Mercer Mitcham, C. B. Culpepper, Edna Bishop . 191 

Tifton Presbyterian Church, Bessie Tift Chapel, Brookfield 
Methodist Church, First Baptist Church of Tifton, First 
Methodist Church of Tifton, St. Anne’s Episcopal 

Church of Tifton .... 206 

Baptism Scenes . 208 

Altar at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church.... 213 

Tift County’s Diversified Agriculture . 294 

Scenes in Tift County ..... 298 

Scenes on Farms in Tift County ..... 304 

Scene in Mrs. Pauline Kent’s Yard, Home of Mrs. Elizabeth 

Pickard Karsten, Sawmill of 1872, Amos Tift, Mary Carmichael . 318 

J. M. Walker. Leon Clements, Earl D. Gibbs, W. Jelks Warren . 330 

W. C. McCormick. A. B. Phillips, Chester A. Baker ... 334 

U. S. Post Office, Courthouse, Bank of Tifton, Confederate 

Monument in Fulwood Park, Tift County Hospital . 336 

C. A. Sears. Frank Smith, P. D. Fulwood, Sr., R. M. Kennon, 

J. F. Newton, A. C. Tift... 338 

With Tift Colored Folk ._. 342 

Captain Owen Lemuel Chesnutt, G. W. Crum, P. D. Phillips, 

Patrick Thomas Carmichael, Henry Hardy Britt . 375 

C. W. Fulwood, Briggs Carson, Sr., Dr. Jasper Brooks, 

J. L. Herring. Dr. N. Peterson, John Henry Hutchinson . 382 

William Lowndes Yancey Pickard . 449 

Mrs. H. H. Tift and Sons. Mrs. H. H. Tift, Mrs. Florence 

Willingham Pickard . 473 

Thomas Willingham Tift . 485 

xvi 





































:olql»tt 


CO.. 


IRWIN CO. 




,i CO. 


O MAP OF O 

Tift County ° 

o CEORGIA o 


MILITIA DISTRICTS 


COOK 































































































































































































. 


. 




■ 









INTRODUCTION TO TIFT COUNTY HISTORY 
By Lillian Britt Heinsohn 

This is not a definitive history. The life and the people of this region, 
from the wilderness era to the present, are too rich and too varied to be 
dealt with adequately in one volume. 

Rather this is somewhat an informal chronicle, an intimate, sketchy sur¬ 
vey of folk and folk-lore, of customs, manners, traditions and growth of a 
highly interesting section of our state. As such we hope it will be a worthy 
contribution to the stream of material compiled and put into permanent 
form in various parts of the country for the understanding and the preser¬ 
vation of the days and ways of our beginnings. 

All over the land there are unmistakable evidences that Americans have 
been refreshing their national memories, searching for their roots, however 
obscure, and studying them with fresh interest. It is as if they were finding 
pride and no little solace for an uncertain present and an unpredictable 
future in the rediscovery of the past. 

A whole new literature has sprung up. A literature seriously concerned 
with American folkways, regional cultures, pioneer migrations, descriptive- 
historical novels, and endless outpouring of biography and autobiography. 
There have been “period pieces,” folk-play, lavishly and authentically cos¬ 
tumed, both in the theatre and on the screen. Even the W.P.A. produced 
guides to states, roads and historical spots. Elaborate “restorations” have 
taken place in many spots of historical interest and significance in order 
that the atmosphere and cultural quality of long ago might be preserved. 
In the Library of Congress there was established in 1933 the Archives of 
American Folk Song, and in so short a time more than twenty thousand 
recordings have been made of purely indigenous American folk music: 
mountain ballads, cowboy laments, negro work-songs and spirituals, sea 
chanties—recorded and preserved for all time. 

There is a profound significance in the fact of this need to search out 
the land, to compile records, to explain America to itself. Those critics and 
skeptics of the twenties who had tried to “debunk” every tradition, every 
commonplace national allegiance, many of our time-honored heroes, those 
critics who had indulged in w hat has been called the “license of indiscrimi¬ 
nate negation,” these have been amazed at this rebirth of America’s 
astounding hunger for self-knowledge, for the need to reclaim and re¬ 
evaluate the past. The very nature of the crisis through which the world 
has passed, and the explosive changes it has brought, have intensified this 
need for self-discovery. In a period of unparalleled shock and insecurity 
we have turned to our forebears for reassurance, for a reaffirmation of 
values, that they may give new meaning to contemporary experience and 


XYll 


thought; that something of the strength, vision and courage that was theirs 
may, through understanding and appreciation, be ours. 

The records and histories of the more brilliant and outstanding men of 
our early days are full, glowing, and inspirational. They were found¬ 
ing and perfecting the structure of a great new democracy, and the story 
of that struggle, is one of the most important in recorded history. Many of 
these men also stand clearly revealed to us through their own writings. 
But great as they were, they could not have made America without the fine 
stout hearts, minds and brawn of the unknown, inconspicuous tens of thou¬ 
sands who were the warp and woof of this rugged, determined experiment 
in self-government. It is not easy to know these people intimately. Most 
of them were not really articulate, not much given to writing their memoirs, 
their observations, their inner and outer struggles in support of the new 
American Constitution, in helping to make the United States a reality, in 
opening up trackless wilderness and making it habitable, prosperous farm 
country. We are now beginning to realize and appreciate their tremendous 
contribution; we are hunting them out and revaluing them, and paying 
them tribute. 

In “The New Freedom” Woodrow Wilson wrote: “When I look back 
upon the processes of history, when I survey the genesis of America. I see 
this written over every page: that the nations are renewed from the- bot¬ 
tom, not from the top; that the genius which springs up from the ranks 
of unknown men is the genius which renews the youth and energy of a 
people. Everything I know about history, every bit of experience and ob¬ 
servation that has contributed to my thought, has confirmed me in the 
conviction that the real wisdom of human life is compounded out of the 
experiences of ordinary men. The utility, the vitality, the fruitage of life 
does not come from the top to the bottom; it comes like the natural growth 
of a great tree, from the soil, up through the trunk into the branches, to 
the foliage and the fruit. The great struggling, unknown masses of men 
who are the base of everything are the dynamic force that is lifting the 
levels of society. A nation is as great, and only as great, as her rank and 
file.” 

The realization of this truth makes it fitting and timely to hunt out, 
to preserve and to perpetuate the records of lives and times in the less con¬ 
spicuous, less publicized parts of our country, even when the personnel of 
the drama seldom rises above that great “rank and file.” We are doing 
well to cultivate an awareness and an appreciation of all that is indigenous 
and idiomatic in our particular section of Georgia; not that this effort may 
be a mechanism for building an ideological wall around our section. On 
the contrary, our sense of culture must come out of a desire to make more 
rich and salty our own contribution to our state and nation. 

To much of the rest of the country Southwest Georgia seemed remote, 


xv in 



JUDGE RALEIGH EVE 
Historian of Tift County 




isolated, sparsely inhabited, and perhaps a little forbidding. But there was 
romance and much natural beauty in these pinelands. Throbbing with wild 
life, redolent with pungent aroma of turpentine, lovely beyond description 
in its green gothic pine temples. A continuous concert of birds by day; the 
ecstatic trill of the mockingbird filling the brooding silences of night; the 
wild fragrance of that night enticing from their hiding places shapes that 
were silent, elusive, often beautiful. A great silver stag moving with in¬ 
comparable grace through the moonlight like some disembodied spirit. 
Little elfin noises in the bushes and brambles, pine cones falling, twigs 
from gnarled old limbs shattering the silence with their sharp, impatient 
voices as they break and fall. To witness sundow’n and “fust-dark” stream¬ 
ing through the majestic trunks of great yellow pines in a blaze of glory 
was to see a veritable conflagration, a suffusion of molten gold, followed 
at last by paling, amathystine light and profound silence. These were the 
things the early settlers knew and loved; and the calm, the tranquility 
entered into their being and became a part of them, and fortified them in 
their isolation. 

Those starlit, fragrant forests are almost gone now. They have been 
felled to make way for some of the finest farm lands in the state. But the 
sensitive heart can still feel the brooding, haunting beauty, the wild mys¬ 
terious whisperings of the forest, the mystic radiance that permeated the 
whole countryside and spread magic beauty on man and beast, transform¬ 
ing and tranfiguring every scar and blemish and ugliness. There is still 
strength in such tranquility. 

This beautiful wiregrass Georgia does have a contribution to make, and 
a significant one, to the everwidening stream that is America. These records 
here presented, incomplete and inadequate as they are, are but our glance 
backward that reassures, revivifies and reaffirms, giving us inspiration and 
stimulus to carry forward into a great new era. 

Lillian Britt Heinsohn 


XX 



Editorial Staff of The History of Tift County 

Top row—Ida Belle Williams, Editor-in-Chief, author of History of Tift 
County; Elizabeth Pickard Karsten, assistant editor and author of chapter, 
“Pioneers.” 

Bottom row—J. L. Williams, assistant editor, author of True Tales of the 
Wire Grass. Bob Herring, assistant editor. 








HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 






















\ 






% 



























( 








THE HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 
CHAPTER I. 

Footsteps of the Creek Indians 

Let us stroll in beautiful Fuiwood Park, Tifton, Georgia. It is the spring 
of 1947. The colorful azaleas, native and exotic, bordering the walks, and 
fragrant roses are blooming. The majestic long-leaf pines—a remnant of 
an ancient forest that probably whispered messages to Lower Creek Indian 
maidens and lovers on this spot—are still whispering and sighing. The 
magnolias, rare camellia plants, weeping willows, hollies, leafy branches of 
various oaks, dogwood blossoms, and sweet tunes of our Southern birds 
are announcing spring in Tift County. 

Boy Scout log cabins and rustic bridges over natural streams, trickling 
through the woodland, give their human-interest touch and picturesqueness. 
April breezes are spreading rustic odors of pine straw and perfume from 
rose vines and native yellow jasmines garlanded over trellises. 

Now as we stroll, let us listen to the tramp, tramp of feet of the past in 
Wire Grass Georgia! First came the footsteps of the animals and the 
aborigines. Wolves, bears, tigers, catamounts, deer, and wild turkeys tramp¬ 
ed through this spot, the present Fuiwood Park, during the forest days 
before and after the sound of the axe and while the nimble-footed “red 
men” w r ith their bows and arrows hunted game. 

The Lower Creek Indians stepped in this section of Georgia. There is 
proof that Indians lived in what is now Tift County. Indian pottery was 
found eight miles from Tifton on Dan King’s farm. A number of Indian 
relics have been found on W. L. Lawson’s place, near Tifton. A very 
rare arrowhead w r as dug up in the old Pickard yard, where Mrs. Elizabeth 
Karsten now lives. 

Let us discuss some of the facts about the makers of the footsteps. Ac¬ 
cording to Swanton, the Creek Confederacy had forty-seven tribes, com¬ 
posed of families and clans with a population estimated at 20,000. The 
Handbook of American Indians in Bulletin 30, Bureau of Ethnology, re¬ 
ferred to in Cooper’s “Story of Georgia,” Vol. I, page 46, holds that in 
ancient days the Creeks occupied the greater portion of Alabama and Geor¬ 
gia, residing chiefly on the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers, and on the Flint 
River. 

“They claimed,” says the bulletin, “the territory on the east from the 
Savannah to St. Johns Rivers and all the islands thence to Appalachee Bay 
and from this line nowthward to the mountains. 

“They sold to Great Britain at an early date this territory between the 


1 


2 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Savannah and Ogeechee Rivers, and all the islands up to the tidewater, 
reserving for themselves St. Catherine, Sapelo, and Ossabaw Islands and 
from Pipemakers Bluff to Savannah. 

“The towns were classified as Upper Creeks, on Coosa and Tallapoosa 
Rivers, Alabama, and Lower Creeks, on middle or lower Chattahoochee 
River, on the Alabama-Georgia border.” 

Muskogee was the Indian name for these people, and Creek, the English. 
There are two theories for the cause of the latter name: many people be¬ 
lieve that the Indians’ fondness for rivers and streams is responsible; Swan- 
ton agrees with Prof. V. W. Crane’s idea that Creek is a condensation of 
Ocheese Creek Indians, Ocheese being an old name for the Ocmulgee, 
upon which many of these Indians were living when the English first con¬ 
tacted them. 

According to Swanton in “Creek Indians and Their Neighbors,’’ the 
upper Creeks lived on Coosa, Tallapoosa, and Alabama Rivers and in the 
neighboring country, and the lower Creeks, on the Chattahoochee and 
Flint. Tradition gives the origin of these Indians in the west, but Swanton 
asserts that Muskogee tribes had completed their migration before De 
Soto’s arrival. 

Colonel Benjamin Hawkins, former Indian agent for United States 
Government, said, “They have a tradition among them that there is in the 
fork of the Red River, West of Mississippi, two mounds of earth; that at 
this place, the Cussetuhs, Conetuhs, and Chickasaws found themselves; 
that being distressed by wars and red people, they crossed the Mississippi; 
and directing their course eastwardlv they crossed the falls of Tallapoosa 
above Tookaubatch, settled below the falls of Chattahoochee, and spread out 
from thence to Ocmulgee, Oconee, Savannah, and down on the seacoast 
towards Charleston. Here they first saw white people, and from hence 
they have been compelled to retire back again to their present settlement .” 1 

Their towns were divided into white and red; the former for peace; the 
latter for war, which the Great Warrior determined . 2 When the micco 
and counsellors believed the town had received an injury, the Great War¬ 
rior lifted the hatchet against the offending nation. The micco and coun¬ 
sellors, however, could avoid war by negotiation. If the Great Warrior, 
still persisting, left for war, his followers joined him in battle, after he 
fired his gun and set up the war whoop. Not more than one-half the nation 
ever went to war at the same time or took “the war talk.” 

Their superstitions were numerous . 3 These Indians believed that a rat¬ 
tlesnake would give good luck if he crawled into a camp during a ball game 
and that a wolf would punish the irreverent. The musical title, “night 
wanderers.” for the wolf, reminds one of the kennings in “Beowulf.” The 

1. White’s “Statistics of Georgia,’’ p. 28. 

2. Loc. Cit 

3. Debo’s “Road to Disappearance’’—page 238. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


3 


Creeks respected plants as well as animals. Children were not allowed to 
play with corn cobs because the corn represented an old lady, who was sen¬ 
sitive. 

In the fall to prevent colds, they used leaf-colored water . 4 “For four 
mornings in succession they drank the leaf-flavored medicine in four sips, 
facing east and then dipped in it four times.” Since mist to them was pure 
water, the women used it for hair tonic. Their beauty parlors were vine- 
clad nooks in the woods, where Indian maids spread their hair under the 
dripping sap of grapevines to give luxuriance. These maids called leaves 
“tree hair .” 5 

Angie Debo in “Road to Disappearance,” refers to superstitions given by 
an aged Creek woman, Monie Coker, p. 299. Pointing a finger at the rain- 
bowbow will make the finger crooked. Blindness and falling teeth are the 
penalty for not spitting four times after one sees a falling star. If a hunter 
will bury some of the hair from the right foot of a squirrel he had killed, he 
will kill more squirrels. Pups if given wasps four mornings will develop 
into ferocious watch dogs. 

Superstitions concerning infants are: if an infant eats the tongue of a 
mocking bird, he will grow into a mimic; if someone scratches the baby 
with a quail’s toes, the latter will become fast and nimble; if the child 
drinks liquid from an old well, he will be a good singer. 

Their religion was closely related to their superstitions. The Greeks 
attached much significance to superior beings’ directing human affairs . 6 
Each tribe had its conjurors and magicians, which the Indians consulted 
about health, hunting, and war. They called on all spirits, good and bad 
to help them in difficult undertakings. They regarded signs and dreams as 
important. Creeks looked upon fire as sacred and paid the author of it a 
kind of worship. At the time of full moon they observed several feasts and 
ceremonies, which it would seem were derived from some religious origin . 7 

According to James Adair the Indians worshipped “the Great, Beneficent, 
Supreme, Holy Spirit of Fire, who resides, as they think, above the clouds 
and on earth among unpolluted people.” With the “red men” this Great 
Spirit w r as the sole author of light, heat, and all animal and vegetable life. 
The Creeks considered the sun as a visible representative of the Great 
Spirit, ruler of heaven and earth, whom they called 8 “The Great Fire 
above, and fire, to them an emanation from the sun, was sacred.” The 
fire was rekindled but once a year with a solemn ceremony; it was wicked 
act to put out the flames in the meantime. 

Connected with the Creek’s religion was an annual festival, Booksketau, 

4. Ibid., linos 1 md ?, p °0O. 

5. Debo’s “Road to Disappearance,” p. 200. 

6. Hewat, page 78, Swanton’s “Early History of the Creek Indians and Their Neighb rs.’ 

7. T oc. Cit 

8. Walter G. Cooper’s “Story of Georgia” Vol. 1, p. 46. 


4 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


which the Indians celebrated in the month of July or August. In some 
towns the festival lasted eight days: in other towns, four days. Colonel 
Benjamin Hawkins said , 9 “This happy institution of the Booksketau, re¬ 
stores a man to himself, to his family, and to his nation. It is a general 
amnesty, which not only absolves the Indians from all crimes, murder only 
excepted, but seems to bury guilt itself in oblivion.” 

Colonel Hawkins also gave an account of the marriage customs. A man 
who wanted a wife did not propose in person, but, like Miles Standish, 
courted by proxy. The lover sent his sister, mother, or some other female 
relative to the female relatives of the chosen red maid. The representatives 
consulted the girl’s brothers and maternal uncle, and sometimes the father. 
The last consultation was a mere courtesy, as his approval or disapproval 
was not important. If the suitor received a favorable answer, carried by his 
representatives, he would send a blanket and clothing to the women in the 
girl’s family. 

After these formalities, the lover could go to his fiancee’s home at any 
time he chose. When he had built a house, made and gathered a crop, 
hunted and brought home the meat, and presented all these things to the 
maid, the ceremony ended. The two were then considered married—in 
other words, the woman was bound. 

Now as we feel the vibrations of the “red men’s” footsteps, let us sit 
in the park on a bench under the vigorous green needles of the ancient 
pines, some of which are two-hundred-forty years old, and watch on the 
screen of time flashes from the Creek nation. 

First, Creek characters flash in the preview. Indian men, with long, 
coarse, black hair and regular features, enter, wearing animal skins. Some 
of the leaders are wearing bands of feathers or metal on their heads and 
ornaments in their noses. The countenance of these men is “open, digni¬ 
fied, and placid, yet the forehead and brow so formed as to strike you in¬ 
stantly with heroism and bravery; the eye, though small, is active and full 
of fire. Their countenance and actions exhibit an air of magnanimity, su¬ 
periority, and independence .” 10 

Now we have a snow’ scene ." 1 Indian women 1ow t , but well proportioned, 
wearing heavy skin blankets, are hurrying toward their wigwams. Like the 
men, these squaws have long, black, coarse hair. Following this group are 
young Indian maidens in short skirts, made of deer skins, and shawls of 
animal skins. 

Spring is here. Indian girls wearing aprons of strings, with pieces of 
metals dangling from the ends dance across the stage. Now follows an¬ 
other group of dancing maids, carrying turkey feather fans and wearing 
in their hair ornaments of beads, feathers, copper, and colored stones. 


9. White’s “Statistics of Georgia,’’ p. 33. 

10. William Bartram, Cooper’s “History of Georgia” Vol. I, p. 49. 

11. John R. Swanton’s “Early History of the Creek Indians and Their Neighbors.” 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 




Now the first main scene (lashes. Lower Creek Indians are darting here 
and there in the dense woods, looking for game. A close-up view shows 
“men of dark, reddish color, strong, w T ell-proportioned, active and capable 
of enduring great physical suffering .” 12 They hunt game on the low coastal 
plains and fish in small streams. In the early fall they gather their scanty 
crops of grain; it does not take much food to satisfy them. 

An Indian lover happily stoops, planting beans and setting poles for 
the vines to climb on. The happy expression is due to the fact that he killed 
a bear and sent a pan of bear oil to the beautiful Indian maid whom he 
wished to marry. Her acceptance of the oil, an equivalent of the English 
“yes,” was the first step in the betrothal; he then was at liberty to hoe her 
cornfield. Days pass. He now eagerly watches the growth of the beans, for 
their entwining around the pole will symbolize the union. 

Now here comes the bride! Nature is the priest that performs the 
ceremony. The groom breaks an ear of corn and gives half to the maiden. 
Instead of a ring ceremony, the groom presents a piece of venison to the 
bride, and she gives him an ear of corn . 13 

The guests have danced and feasted, and the girl’s uncle is leading the 
couple to their bed. He exclaims , 14 “This is your bed, lie in it.” 

This marrige is binding until the Green Corn Dance . 15 If the husband 
or wife is dissatisfied, the marriage can be annulled. 

The setting now is for the Green Corn Festival. This woodland scene 
is far from habitation. It consists of a large square, with four large log 
houses, each house forming a side of the square . 16 “The houses are of logs 
and clay and a sort of wicker-work, with sharp topped sloping roofs.” 
Attached to every house is a thick, notched mast, resembling the old-style 
war club; on each mast is a pile of tall canes, from which black and white 
feathers droop. 

In the center of an outer square is a very high circular mound, which 
the Indians formed from the earth accumulated yearly by removing the 
surface of the sacred square . 17 “At every Green Corn Festival the sacred 
square is strewn with soil yet untrodden; the soil of the year preceding be¬ 
ing taken away, but preserved as above explained. No stranger is allowed 
to press the new earth of the sacred square until its consecration is com¬ 
plete.” 

Now the head chief in every town is given the signal to extinguish all 
fires. The first ceremonial is beginning—lighting the new fire of the year. 

12. Brook’s “History of Georgia.’’ p. 17. 

13. Scene based on points from “McGillivray of the Creeks” by Caughey, p. 12. 

14. Ibid., p. 12, line 40. 

15. Ibid., p. 13. 

16. Description of Green Corn Dance taken from John Howard Payne’s letter in Conti¬ 
nental Monthly reproduced bv John R. Swanton in “Chronicles of Oklahoma,” June 1932, p. 
176. 

17. Ibid., p. 177. 



6 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTS 


An Indian is bringing a square board with a hollow in the center; now he is 
pouring on it dust from dry leaves or trees. Five Indian chiefs are whirling 
the stick until friction produces a flame. Now they are carrying the fire 
to the center of the sacred square; over this fire the “red men” set the holy 
vessels of pottery, and on a bench, the drinking gourds with a handle. Now 
the Indians are brewing the black drink. 

Indian chiefs, motionless as statues are standing around the sides and 
corners. Every building is full of silent Indians. Those on the back rows 
are seated in the Turkish fashion, but those in front have their feet on the 
ground . 18 “All are turbaned, all fantastically painted, all in dresses varying 
in ornament, but alike in wildness.” An Indian chief, wearing a tall black 
hat with a large silver band and peacock feather is imposing looking. Many 
of the Indians are wearing eagle plumes, which indicate that they have 
slain a foe. 

Listen to the strange, low, deep wail! Voices in unison are holding notes 
a long time. Ah, there is a second wail, “shrill like the sound of musical 
glasses.” Now a third wail in another key! The statue-like figures form 
two diagonal lines opposite each other. One, by one each figure approaches 
the huge bowls where the black drink is brewing. 

Men with whitened long-handled gourds filled with pebbles are seated 
on mats; whereas those who have been sitting are forming in circles around 
the fire. Led by a chief, they begin movements from the left. As the proces¬ 
sion moves, the solemn “red men” chant to the rhythm of rattling gourds 
—a surprisingly harmonious sound until some of the dancers interrupt at 
regular intervals with a chorus like the shrill yelp of a dog . 19 “The dance 
seems to bear reference to the fires in the center;” the head chief as he ap¬ 
proaches the flame, lifts his hand over the flame as if invoking a benedic¬ 
tion and every dancer follows his example. Each stately dancer carrying 
a feather fan gives two taps each with the heel and toe of one foot, then of 
the other, making a step forward and fanning himself as each foot taps 
on the earth. The dance increases to a rhythmical run and the dancers 
vary their cries to suit the motion. Suddenly the Indians give a shrill whoop 
and stop abruptly. Most of them, however, are rushing down a steep, nar¬ 
row ravine, canopied with foliage, to the river, into which they plunge. 

Now they are returning to the sacred square. An aged chief uttering a 
low, broken sound, alleluliah, to which the others respond, leads a proces¬ 
sion of Indians. In a few minutes they will close with a war whoop. 

A fire blazes in the darkness of the wild woods. Eerie forms around the 
cauldron suggest witches’ scenes in “Macbeth.” Four weird figures are stir¬ 
ring the cauldron and humming the incantation while the others are danc¬ 
ing. Now they 20 are using “a small kettle-drum with a guitar-like handle.” 

18. Ibid., p. 180. 

19. Ibid., p. 181. 

20. Ibid., p. 195. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Screen flashes a group of squaws, dressed in long, gaily-colored gowns 
and bright shawls, draped like mantles. They are wearing innumerable 
beads on their necks, tortoise-shell combs in their hair, and massive, long 
silver earrings in their ears. Some of the dancers are wearing under their 
robes and on their calves large squares of thick leather 21 “covered all over 
with terrapin-shells close together and perforated and filled with pebbles, 
which rattle like so many sleigh bells. These they keep silent until their 
accompaniment is required for the music of their dances.” Broad vari¬ 
colored ribbon bands streaming from the back of each head to the ground 
and brilliant glass, coral, and gold beads dangling give the dancers 22 “an 
air of graceful and gorgeous, and at the same time, unique wildness.” 

The procession winds around a central fire and stretches out until it ex¬ 
tends in three circles and a half. The shortest line halts and faces the men 
sitting chanting. The last group includes the dancers who wear terrapin 
leg bands, which rattle to the rhythm of the chants. At the end of each line 
are two women—one elderly, the other, not young—carrying a little 
notched stick, floating two feathers and circling around the rest. These two 
squaws break away from the line and make a circuit outside, while the 
three circles march slowly round and round, and turn at a given signal to 
face the men, who face the emblem of the deity, the central fire. 

Aunt Nancy Luke, an Irwin County woman, whose husband is off fight¬ 
ing Indians, sees five red skins coming toward her in single file. For a mo¬ 
ment her eyes reflect horror, as the brave woman pictures torture and death 
for herself and children. Suddenly regaining self possession as the Indians 
approach, she invites them to dinner. They follow to the dining room where 
the sight of food whets their appetite. The “red men” flop on the benches 
around the table and eat every particle of clabber, corn bread, and potatoes. 

As the Indians rise from the table, Aunt Nancy again expects death, but 
they march into the yard and begin the war dance. As they point to the 
house, she shudders, for to her they seem to be planning her death. After 
observing carefully, however, the expression in their eyes and the gesticula¬ 
tions, she decides that the Indians are thanking her for the dinner. Now 

they form a line and march toward the gate. 

****** 

Cows are stampeding . 23 Pioneer settlers are following the cows, which 
seem to know when the Indians are approaching and stampede in the oppo¬ 
site direction. Taking what they can in their arms, men, women, and chil¬ 
dren are following the cattle . . It is night, weary from tramping in the 
swamp the people lie down . . . Morning dawns and the families again 
follow the Indian forecasters, the lowly cows, which are valuable protec- 

21 . Ibid., p. 192. 

22. Loc. Cit. 

23. “History of Worth County” by Lillie Grubbs. 



8 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


tors. Upon reaching home these people find that the “red men have ran¬ 
sacked the places. 

****** 

Aunt Betsy Story, with a bundle in her hand, is walking toward the cow 
pen to spend the night. 24 The cow pen is the safest spot, for “Old Susie” 
has scented Indians many times a quarter of a mile away and broken the 

gate down in her haste to go in the opposite direction. 

****** 

After several guards among the “pale faces” have mysteriously disap¬ 
peared, a daring young man has agreed to stand on guard in a spot in the 
wire grass. Alone in the forest, he hears the grunt of a hog, and looking 
down in the bushes sees an animal creeping along. Suddenly the man aims 
and fires. Out of a hog’s hide rolls a dead Indian. 

Screen flashes a scene in 1814. Quills are moving at Fort Jackson. A 
treaty with the Lower Creeks is being signed by Indians as representatives 
of various towns. It has been duly signed by Major-General Jackson, who 
was responsible for the defeat of the Indians on August 9, 1814. In the 
War of 1812 between Britain and the United States many Indians sided 
with Britain. The signing of the treaty is being witnessed by two Indian 
agents, an officer in the United States Army, three interpreters, and others. 

In this treaty Creek Indians have ceded to the United States for Georgia, 
by virtue of the agreement of 1802, the lands between the western line of 
Wayne County, bounded on the south by the Florida line, and on the north 
by lines starting from the Chattahoochee River near Fort Gaines and run¬ 
ning due east to a point northeast of Isabella, and thence forty-five degrees 
northeast to the Ocmulgee River, and thence, following the Ocmulgee to 
the Altamaha River near Jesup, where it intersects the western boundary 
line of Wayne County. 20 (The present site of Tift County w T as in the 
northern part of the section acquired.) 

* * * * * * 

It is February 12, 1825. General William McIntosh, chief of the Lower 
Creek Indians, for his people is signing at Indian Springs the treaty which 
gives the United States Government all lands lying west of the Flint River. 
The initial ceding of the land was effected by the treaty at Washington, 
on November 14, 1805. 

****** 

Flashes are now coming from the late spring of 1836. Creeks from the 
section around the Chattahoochee River are passing through the Wiregrass 
Country. Original Irwin County is being devastated by the savages. Grue¬ 
some shadows are cast on the background of a dense forest of pines. Men 
and boys are rushing back and forth, fighting the flames. Pale and trem- 

24. Irwin County woman referred to in The Tifton Gazette. 

25. Dr. Walter Martin’s “History of Tift County” published by the Tifton Gazette. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


9 


bling, the women and children cringe within the circle of light. Savage 
yells are renting the air. 

* * * # * * 

Scene shifts to August 1836. A company of “pale faces” are fighting In¬ 
dians in the Bushy Creek Swamps. “Pale faces” retreat. Two other com¬ 
panies are following the Indians to a spot five miles below the first battle¬ 
field. White men are surrounding the swamp; now they are opening fire. 
One by one the Indians slink out of the swamp defeated. 

A squad of Indians is raiding the house of William Parker (located not 
far from what is now Lakeland). They are taking more than $300, cloth¬ 
ing and food. Captain Knight, commander of a large brave company, is 
pursuing the red men and overtaking them near Alapaha River, not far 
from Gaskin Mill Pond. Indians are completely routed. During this skir¬ 
mish a white man, Mr. Peters, is wounded severely. 

Indians throw their guns nnd plunder into the river and jump into the 
water. One red man throws his shot gun into the river and tries to throw a 
shot bag after it. The bag is caught by a limb and hangs over the water. 

Having driven the Indians beyond the river, Captain Knight marches 
his men toward Brushy Creek. As the soldiers arrive they hear a volley of 
arms. Hastening toward the swamp from which the sound came, the com¬ 
pany sees that the battle is over. They learn that the volley was a tribute to 
Pennywell Folsom, who had fallen during the Brushy Creek engagement. 
They learn, too, that the Indians have killed Edward Shanks and Ferrell, 
and wounded Edwin Henderson. Robert Parrish’s arm has been broken 
by a bullet. Twenty-two of the Indians have been killed and numbers 
wounded. 

Leaving the Companies who have fought in the Battle of Brushy Creek, 
Captain Knight leads his men ?way to another battlefield (to what is now 
Clinch County) and overtakes the Indians at Cow Creek. Three Indians 
are killed and four taken prisoners. Brazelius is dangerously wounded. 

A “pale face” rescues the shot bag which lodged on the limb of a tree 
when thrown toward the river. Upon opening the bag, the white man dis¬ 
covers the money which a “red man” stole from William Parker. The shot 
gun which is fished from the river is sold for the price—then fabulous—of 
forty dollars. 

(According to Fred Shaw’s manuscript about Tift County, the Brushy 
Creek Battle ended the fighting with “red men” in this section. Supposition 
is that these defeated Indians joined forces with the Florida Seminoles.) 

The following is an excerpt from Shaw’s manuscript, which gives facts 
from old copies of the Ocilla Dispatch and the Valdosta Times: 

Of the three companies that took part in the Battle of Brushy Creek there 
is a record of only the killed or wounded. Of Captain Knight’s company, 


10 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


which numbered one hundred and twenty men coming from all parts of 
Southwest Georgia, the following were among the members: 

Bryan J. Roberts, Moses Giddens, John Studstill, Aaron Knight, Guil¬ 
ford Register, David Clements, William Giddens, John Roberts, Zeke 
Parrish, Nathan Roberts, John McMillan, Robert Parrish, John McDer- 
mid, George Henedge, Jeremiah Shaw, Daniel Sloan, John Lee, Moses 
Lee, James Patten, W. J. Roberts, Isben Giddens, Jacob Giddens, Elbert 
Peterson, John Knight, Thomas Giddens, Harmon Gaskins, John Gaskins, 
William Gaskins, Sim Lee, Frederick Giddens, James Parrish, Martin 
Shaw, Archie McCranie, Alexander Patterson, James Edmondson, David 
Mathis, Thomas Mathis, Levi Shaw, William Peters, Jonathan Knight, 
and Brazelius Staten. 

Although this immediate section was left in peace after the Indians were 
driven into Florida, the red skins immediately began making trouble for 
the people of North Florida and extreme South Georgia. Feeling against 
the Indians was at a high pitch and military companies from both states 
joined in an effort to break the power of the savages. 

The following pay roll of one of the companies contains the names of 
many men whose descendants now live in Tift and adjoining counties: 

Of Captain H. W. Sharp’s Company of Florida Volunteers in the Indian 
War of 1836. The following is the amount due each officer and soldier: 

1. Archibald McCranie, Capt., $124.93; 2. John Lindsey, 1st Lieut., 
$ 45-79 J 3- John McCranie, 2nd Lieut., $42.27; 4. J. D. Hancock, Ensign 
and 4th Lieut., $26.43; 5. Martin Shaw, $19.75; 6. Daniel McCranie, Jr., 
$35-50 5 7. Joseph Anderson, $5.75; 8. James J. Burman, $5.05; 9. Thomas 
Belote, $2.38; id. William Coane, $3.75; 11. Samuel Connell, $8.75; 12. 
Peter Connell, $12.00; 13. Ebin Deloach, $26.75; 14. General Deloach, 
$23.25. 15. William Durrance, $12.00; 16. D. J. Durrance $3-75; 17. 
Martin Folsom, $7.25; 18. Elijah Folsom, $12.25; 19. Wm. H. Fountain, 
$6.50; 20. Randall Fulford, $11.50; 21, J. B. Goulding, $23.25; 22. Daniel 
Griner, $14.50; 23. William Griner, $6.00; 24. Samuel Griner, $2.66; 
25. Richard Golding, $13.00; 26. Anderson Golding, $1.98; 27. William 
Gaskins, $5.25; 28. Jeremiah Hancock, $15.00; 29. Henry Hancock, $8.75. 

30. Durham Hancock, $8.75; 31. Jordan Hancock, $5.75; 32. James T. 
Hancock, $2.38; 33. Lewis Harrell, $2.38; 34. William Kirby, $9.75; 35. 
Daniel Kinard, $12.00; 36. Arthur Lindsey, $8.75; 37. Joshua Lovett, 
$ 15 - 75 : 38. McKeeny McLeod, $5.75; 39. Malcom McCranie, $21.50; 
40. William McCranie $21.75, 41. Niel E. McCranie, $16.75; 42. John 
D. McCranie, $5-75; 43- Daniel McCranie, Sr., $15.00; 44. John Mc- 
Dermit, $27.75; 45- Norman McDonald, $26.00; 46. Malakiah Monk, 
$11.75; 47. William Monk, $9.00; 48. Rice Mathis, $7.25; 49. C. J. 
O’Neal, $2.00; 50. R. N. Parrish, $9.50; 51. A. A. Parrish, $10.50; 52. 
James Parrish, $16.50; 53. F. W. Parrish, $11.50; 54. Joseph Parrish, 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


11 


$5-50>' 55- Alexander Patterson, $15.55; 56. West Rountree, $17.20; 57. 
Thomas Rooks, $14.00; 58. D. C. Smith, $5.25; 59. Jona R. Varner, 
$5.25; 60. S'. G. Williams, $13.50; 61. E. J. Williams, $7.50. 

When a transcript of the pay roll was printed in The Tif ton Gazette, 
J. L. Herring commented in part as follows (Sept. 23, 1898) : “The fol¬ 
lowing transcript of an old and interesting document was found by Mr. 
O. F. Sheppard’s 12-year-old daughter, May, on the street near his resi¬ 
dence one day last week . . . 

“Besides being interesting as a relic of the Creek war of 1836, it con¬ 
tains the names of many of the fathers and grandfathers of the men who 
are now among the most honored citizens of Berrien . . . 

“It should be a matter of no small pride to their descendants that so 
many volunteers of this Florida company were from what is now Berrien, 
attesting, in no small degree, to their bravery and daring.” 

****** 


Creeks are departing for their new home west of the Mississippi, where 
the United States Government is sending them. An old squaw on a ship 
disconsolately fumbles with her last reminder of her home in the east, a 
little bundle of her possessions. She opens and closes—opens and closes— 
the bundle. Tears roll down her cheeks, as she sings the pathetic notes, 26 
“I have no more land; I am driven away from home, driven up the red 
waters; let us all go, let us all die together, and somewhere upon the banks 
we will be there.” 

Officials of a tribe of Creeks are walking in single file, carrying the 
sacred plates. 27 Another tribe is carrying the large conch shells which the 
Indians had used in the black drink during the Green Corn Festivals. A 
group is guarding some of the “town fire” from this beloved home in the 
East, so that they can keep the old home-fires burning in the West. 

Oweeta, a beautiful Creek maiden, is roaming for the last time in her 
beloved woodland. 28 Sad things have happened since she has roamed in this 
spot. The “pale faces” have seized the Indian lands, and the poor Creeks 
can do nothing. William McIntosh, the chief of her tribe, has been mur¬ 
dered for signing a treaty. 

She wanders down by the waters of Labothacossa at Indian Springs, 
Georgia, until she reaches a weather-beaten rock, where there is an outline 
of an arrow-pierced heart. Here she has spent many hours with her lover, 
Kotoomi, on this trysting rock; but now her people must leave—must leave 
their homes and journey to the West. How her heart aches to leave these 
beautiful hills and valleys, the whispering leaves, and the murmuring 
waters of the old stream as it ripples over rocks. 


26. Debo’s “Road to Disappearance” page 

27. Ibid. 

28. Scene based on “The Legend of the 
Journal. 


105 lines 35-36, page 106 line 1. 

Bleeding Heart,” by Josephine Jones, Atlanta 



12 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Kotoomi had whispered, “The wild forest lands will continue on the 
other side of the big river—we’ll have freedom in the West.” 

“Alas, the forest of the West will never be the forest of the East!” 
Oweeta exclaims sobbing, recalling his words, as she kisses the old rock, 
dear to her heart, and sadly turns to join the crowds of departing Indians. 

& * * # * 

As the Creeks reach their new land, some of them prophesy with tears; 20 
“We . . . are facing the evening of our existence and are nearly at the end 
of the trail that we trod when we were forced to leave our homes in Ala¬ 
bama and Georgia.” 

* * * * & 

Screen flashes Pleasant Porter, chief of Creeks at the end of the nine¬ 
teenth century. He is the son of a white man and a squaw of the Perry¬ 
man family. Standing before a Senate committee in 1906, Porter eloquently 
gives a farewell message: 30 

“The vitality of our race still persists. We have not lived for naught. 
We are the original discoverers of this continent, and the conquerors of it 
from the animal kingdom, and on it first taught the arts of peace and war, 
and first planted the institutions of virtue, truth, and liberty. The Euro¬ 
pean nations found us here and were made aware that it was possible for 
men to exist and subsist here. We have given to the European people on this 
continent our thought forces—the best blood of our ancestors having inter¬ 
mingled with (that of) their best statesman and leading citizens we have 
made ourselves an indestructible element in their natural history. We have 
shown that what they believed were arid and desert places were habitable 
and capable of sustaining millions of people. We have led the vanguard 
of civilization in our conflict with them for tribal existence from ocean to 
ocean. The race that has rendered this service to the other nations of man¬ 
kind can not utterly perish.” 

29. Debo’s “Road to Disappearance” p. 106, lines 12-13-14-15. 

30. Reproduced in “Road to Disappearance” by Debo, lines 16-30, page 377, from Creek 
Tribal Records, 35664 ; 59 Cong., Sen. Rep. No. 5013. I 627f. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


13 


CHAPTER II. 

FOOTSTEPS OF “PALEFACES” 

As the footsteps of “red men” fade, let us listen to near and distant 
tramps of early “palefaces” in our section of the new world. The first 
Europeans to leave tracks in the wire grass region were Hernando De 
Soto and his men. With soldiers, horses, hogs, weapons, handcuffs, chains, 
neck collars, and implements for digging gold, these Spaniards landed at 
Tampa Bay, Florida in 1539. 

According to Lucian Lamar Knight in “Georgia Landmarks, Memo¬ 
rials and Legends,” Vol. I, Sec. II, p. 1, these cavaliers, wearing handsome 
armor and bringing horses caparisoned, resembled more a cavalcade of 
knights than an adventurous band seeking treasures in the wilderness. “This 
little army,” Jones, the historian said, (Vol. I, p. 38) “was composed of 
men accustomed to wars, skilled in the use of weapons and inured to hard¬ 
ships. Scarcely a gray head appeared among them.” Twelve priests, eight 
clergymen, four monks, to convert the Indians, and men of letters to de¬ 
scribe the events of the march were in the group. 

The purpose of the expedition was to discover the wealth of the new 
world. After planting the flag of Spain in what is now Tampa, and claim¬ 
ing the country in the name of Charles V, De Soto marched northward. 

In 1540 he and his men marched from Tallahassee, Florida, to Decatur, 
Georgia, on through original Irwin County to Laurens; he probably did 
not touch what is now Tift County. 

Historians do not agree as to De Soto’s route, but they generally con¬ 
cede that he came through Wire Grass Georgia. 

The following is the itinerary according to Jones’s “History of Georgia,” 
Vol. I, p. 66. 

March 3, 1540—Left Anhayea (Tallahassee). 

March 7, 1540—Crossed a deep river (Ocklockony). 

March 9, 1540—Arrived at Capachiqui. 

March 21, 1540—Came to Toalli in Irwin County near the Ocmulgee. 

March 24, 1540—Left Toalli. 

March 25, 1540—Arrived at Achese, located in Wilcox County, near 
what is now Abbeville, on the Ocmulgee River. 

April 1, 1540—Departed from Achese. 

April 4, 1540—Passed through the town of Altamaca. 

April 10, 1540—Arrived at Ocute in Laurens County. 

April 12, 1540—Left Ocute. Passed through a town, whose lord was 
called Cofaqui, and came to the province of another land, named Patofa. 

April 14, 1540—Departed from Patofa. 

April 20, 1540—Lost in a pine barren. Six days consumed in fording two 
rivers (source of the Great Ogeechee). 


14 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


April 26, 1540—Set out for Aymay, a village reached at nightfall. 

April 28, 1540—Departed for Cutifachiqui (Silver Bluff on the Savan¬ 
nah River, 25 miles below Augusta). 

May 3, 1540—Left Cutifachiqui (Cherokee, Georgia, probably in Frank¬ 
lin County). 

May 15, 1540—Arrived at Xualla (Nacoochee Valley, near Mount 
Yonah). 

May 20, 1540—Arrived at Gauxule (Coosawattee, Old Town in Mur¬ 
ray County). 

May 22, 1540—Arrived at Conasauga (New Echota in Gordon Coun¬ 
ty). 

June 5, 1540—Arrived at Chiaha, Rome, Georgia. 

July 1, 1540—Departed from Chiaha. 

The opinion of several historians is that De Soto devastating homes and 
crops, as he passed through settlements, was intensely cruel to the Indians. 
“Red men” at a village near the spot where Abbeville is now, entertained 
him despite his rude manner. 

According to Dr. Walter Martin, 1 historian, the Spanish were sole 
claimers of this Southeastern section of the United States throughout the 
sixteenth century, during which time the Catholic friars converted many 
Indians to the Catholic faith. Spanish missions grew up in certain sections 
of South Georgia, and the priests at that time went into the forest trying 
to save the “red men’s” souls. 

After the Spanish and later the French, who sailed along 2 “the island- 
fringed edge of Georgia,” came the footsteps of the English. Let us flash 
back to 1629 when 3 “Charles I gave to Robert Heath a grant of land, be¬ 
ginning south of Virginia at 36° and extending to 31 0 at the north tip of 
Cumberland Island.” This region, which included all the territory from 
the mouth of the Chowan River in North Carolina almost to the present 
Georgia-Florida boundary line was named Carolina. 4 5 Our section of South 
Georgia was then a part of English Carolina rather than Spanish Florida. 

The English and Spanish were then about to cross swords for territory. 
While these countries were disputing in 1733, came the footsteps of the 
great founder of Georgia, Oglethorpe. The Spanish at this time reclaimed 
all territory south of the Georgia Colony, the boundaries of which were the 
Savannah and Altamaha Rivers. The present South Georgia territory had 
reverted to the Spanish. Our section 0 “remained Spanish until 1763 when, 
at the close of the French and Indian Wars, England was given all terri¬ 
tory east of the Mississippi River. Even Florida became English and for 

1. “History of Tift County,” published in The Tifton Gazette. 

2. Coulter’s “A Short History of Georgia,” p. 4. 

3. Ibid., p. 8. 

4. Martin’s “History of Tift County,” published in Tifton Gazette. 

5. Ibid 4. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


15 


the first time our section of South Georgia actually became a part of Geor¬ 
gia.” St. Mary’s River was the southern boundary line of Georgia. 

Although at different times South Georgia was like a seesaw with Spain 
on one end, and England on the other, the rightful owners were the Indians 
until the United States Government effected treaties with the “red men.” 

To return to the footsteps of Oglethorpe, in 1729 he was chairman of a 
committee to investigate the debtor prisons. One reason for his keen in¬ 
terest was the fact that one of his friends was in one of the prisons. The 
investigation was the cause of the release of 10,000 prisoners, many of 
whom had little hope for the future after their release. Oglethorpe, there¬ 
fore, suggested sending some of these debtors to America. After the char¬ 
ter was drawn and twenty-one persons, constituting a Board of Trustees, 
were appointed, the selection of people from reputable families was effected. 
These 6 “sober, industrious* and moral persons appeared before the trus¬ 
tees, signified their final desire to go and signed articles of agreements.” 
Between one hundred fourteen and one hundred twenty-five men, women, 
and children stepped on the gangplank of the ship Anne, and later, on 
January 13, 1733, landed at Charleston, South Carolina. 

On February 12, 1733, later designated as the birthday of Georgia, 
Oglethorpe and his people made footprints eighteen miles from the mouth 
of the Savannah River on a bluff, then occupied by Yamacraw Indians, a 
banished tribe of the Creeks, some of whom lived in what is now Tift 
County, and their chief was Tomochichi. Oglethorpe also found there the 
wife of John Musgrove, Ma»*y, who being able to speak English, served 
as an interpreter. Here four tents in a picturesque grove of pines, and 
moss-draped magnolias and live oaks sheltered these colonists, who made 
the first settlement in the mainland of Georgia. 

Thus 7 “Georgia had been set up not for debtors alone. The Trustees had 
a much broader vision; there was a place for fortunate Englishmen as well 
as unfortunate Englishmen; and there was even room for foreigners, with 
the state of their fortune no barrier to their entry.” 

* * * * * 

Now as we watch flashes of the “red men” on the screen of time, let us 
observe scenes presenting “pale faces” who have left tracks on our histori¬ 
cal soil. 

The screen flashes an event of i 735 > when Oglethorpe returns from Eng¬ 
land, where he carried Tomochichi, his wife, Senauki, his nephew, and five 
Creek Chiefs with their attendants. On May 18, at ten o’clock in the 
morning, Oglethorpe finds that Mr. Wiggan, the interpreter, with the 
chief men of all the Lower Creek Nation has come for an alliance with the 
new colony. 


6. Coulter’s op. cit. p. 21. 

7. Ibid., p. 23 



16 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Oglethorpe receives them in one of the new houses in Savannah. Several 
Indian chiefs speak and present gifts. Tomochichi, mico, now comes in 
with the Indians of Y'amacraw, all of whom bow low to Oglethorpe, who 
with ingenious tact has won the friendship of the red people. 

Tomochichi speaks: “I was a banished man; I came here poor and help¬ 
less to look for good land near the tombs of my ancestors, and the trustees 
sent people here; I feared you would drive us away, for we were weak and 
wanted corn; but you confirmed our land to us, gave us food and instructed 
our children. We have already thanked you in the strongest words we could 
find, but words are no return for such favors; for good words may be 
spoken by the deceitful and by the upright. 

“The chief men of all our nation are here to thank you for us; and be¬ 
fore them I declare your goodness, and that here I design to die; for we all 
love your people so well that with them we will live and die. We do not 
know good from evil, but desire to be instructed and guided by you, that 
we may do well with and be numbered amongst the children of the trus¬ 
tees.” 8 ' 

It is 1742. Oglethorpe’s troops composed of regulars, Indians, and 
provincial troops are marching up and down the road which the colonist 
regiment cut through the center of St. Simons Island from Fort St. Simons 
to Frederica. 

(Oglethorpe suffered defeat at St. Augustine with the Spaniards, and 
then marched his despondent men back northward. He lay ill of fever for 
two months at Frederica. Aware that the Spaniards were preparing to 
descend on Georgia, Oglethorpe strengthened his forts on the coast, main¬ 
tained good relations with Indians, and called for assistance from the South 
Carolina troops, who refused. On July 4, 1742, Spaniards stood off St. Si¬ 
mons Sound, preparing to land on the island. They ran by Fort St. Simons 
with no difficulty and landed near Frederica.) 

Screen flashes events of July 7. 9 Oglethorpe and his men are attacking 
the Spaniards as they march in a mile of Frederica. He captures the Span¬ 
ish commander and kills or captures the most of the troop. The remnant 
retreat while Oglethorpe’s Highlanders and others follow. Georgians reach 
an open glade and conceal themselves, while Oglethorpe returns to Fred¬ 
erica for reenforcements. 

Another Spanish troop, arriving, attacks the ambushed Georgians, who 
flee. Oglethorpe meets these men on his return. 10 “A group of Highlanders 
under Lieutenants Southerland and Mackay suddenly execute a flank 
movement, get in the rear of the Spaniards and ambush another glade about 

8. Tomochichi’s speech from Political State of Great Britain Vol. 47 is reproduced in 
Cooper’s History of Georgia, Vol I, page 157. 

9. Scene based on facts from Coulter’s op. cit., p. 46. 

10. Ibid., p. 46. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


17 


two miles from Fort St. Simons.” Spaniards march out into this glade, stack 
their guns, and prepare to rest on their laurels of victory. The Highlanders 
open fire, rush in to the open, and before the attack is over kill or capture 
two hundred Spaniards. 

(This fight was later called the Battle of Bloody Marsh. According to 
Coulter in “A Short History of Georgia,” page 46, this battle, though a 
minor engagement, helped to unnerve the main Spanish force and led to its 
ultimate return to Florida.) 


CHAPTER III 

FOOTSTEPS OF EARLY SETTLERS 


The screen flashes events of 1800 through the “sixties.” The time now is 
1800. Listen to the reverberations of the axe, while “pale faces” in jeans 
and brogans are cutting down trees and clearing the land for shanties and 
farms. The scene shifts. Now several families, forced on account of dan¬ 
gerous Indians to work together in the Tallassee Country, are building their 
houses in a stockade. (“Tallassee is the name applied to this country by 
our Legislature in the Act of December 28, 1794. In various other places 
in the state papers where mention is made of this country it is called Tal¬ 
lassee, but Mr. Jefferson in his message to Congress 1802 calls it the Tal¬ 
lahassee Country. It embraces all of Southeastern Georgia except the 
counties of Glynn and Camden; the larger part, if not the whole of South¬ 
ern and Southwestern Georgia was comprehended in it; much likewise of 
Middle Florida”—(“Digest of the Laws of Georgia”—Watkins). 

These men are representatives of the immigrants from Virginia, South 
Carolina, Maryland, and North Carolina. 


Now men with their guns are hunting wild deer, birds, and turkeys. 
These men are not pleasure seekers; the forest is the main source of food 
except for the little farms, mere gardens, which these farmers till in 
groups on account of lurking bears, catamounts, and wolves. 

It is midnight in Wire Grass Georgia. Vibrations of an unearthly howl 
startle a woman in a log cabin. A close-up shows terror in her eyes, as she 
awakens, dazed, and shakes her husband who is sleeping by her. She, in 
a sweeping yellow homespun gown, and he, in his long night shirt, jump 
out of bed and seize their guns. These immigrants are not yet accustomed 
to the howls of wolves in the forest. 


Screen flashes events of 1803. There is a buzz in the Georgia Legisla¬ 
ture. The Land Lottery Act, which provides for surveying of new lands 
at public expense, has just passed. The land is to be divided into lots of 
equal size, each of which is to be given a number. The numbers after be¬ 
ing recorded will be written on individual slips, which are placed in a box. 

It is 1818. The Act of the Georgia Legislature creating three new coun¬ 
ties, Early on the west, Irwin in the center, and Appling on the east, 
are approved. The counties include the land obtained from Creeks in 
1818 and Cherokees by the United States in the treaties of August 1814, 


18 






HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


19 


at Fort Jackson, at the Cherokee Agency July 8, 1817, and at the Creek 
Agency on the Flint River, January 22, 1818. 

(Irwin at this time embraced what is now Worth, Wilcox, Turner, Ben 
Hill, Tift, Colquitt, Thomas, Cook, Brooks, Berrien, Lowndes, Echols, 
Clinch, Lanier, Atkinson, Coffee, Ware, Charlton, Jeff Davis, Bacon, 
Pierce, and Brantley.) 

Scene shifts, but the time is still 1818. According to the provision of the 
Act of 1818, based on the Land Lottery Act of an early date, Irwin has 
been surveyed into sixteen land districts and 6,500 lots. The drawing is 
being held, and a small grant fee, required from each grantee. Each man 
over eighteen years of age and a resident of the United States for at least 
three years can draw once. Extra provisions have been made for orphans, 
widows, and veterans. 


Flashes come from Irwin County 1840-1850. 

A farmer is loading his wagon with a bale of cotton, chickens, eggs, bees¬ 
wax, tallow, and hides. While the wagon creaks along a sandy road, he 
slaps the lines on the old ox’s back and hollers, “Git up, Sambo!’’ This 
farmer is taking his produce to the nearest town. 

His return home after the long journey is a rare event to his family. 
His wife and children run to meet him and help bring in the packages. 
Gleefully the little boys and girls tear holes in the packages and peek at 
sugar, coffee, tobacco, and salt. Finally there are screams of delight; the 
wife has found a few yards of lace, ribbon, and calico, and the children, a 
few sticks of peppermint candy. 


Mrs. Farmer is weaving on the loom the customary pattern of cloth, 
checks, for tablecovers, bedspreads, and children’s dresses. Cotton has been 
carded and wound into thread, which came in large hanks from the reel. 
The thread after being dyed with home-grown indigo, pomegranate, wal¬ 
nut, or logwood and copperas is ready for the loom. 


This scene is a log-rolling. The whole community has come to help 
Mr. Farmer get his land ready for plowing. Trees have been cut into 
convenient lengths of fifteen feet. Men have been divided into groups of 
nine, and the prize poles, carried by leaders, have been driven under the 
ends of the logs, which have been raised. Log-sticks of hickory or black- 
gum have been thrust under logs, which are being carried by four sturdy 
partners to a heap, where armfuls of limbs, bark, and lightwood are being 
thrown between spaces by the lads. Now the boys are lighting the pile; a 
fire is roaring in the forest. 





20 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Lads are carrying to the thirsty men drinking gourds in wooden buckets 
of water. The large brown jug is there, too, for the older men. 

With ropes women are pulling down a quilting frame from the joists, 
where it hangs when not in active service. Now they are quilting and gos¬ 
siping around the frame. 

The dinner horn sounds a welcome message to the hungry men, who 
rush to the water shelf on the front porch. Admiring glances from the 
ladies do not hinder the hand scrubbing. Now the men are ushered into 
the sand-covered kitchen, where dinner is spread. The odor of collards 
and ham whets the appetites. After the blessing, the first shift enjoys eating 
collards, cornbred, chicken and rice, ham, pork, potato custard, pies, and 
cakes. Now the remainder of guests and the homefolk have their chance 
at the log-rolling dinner. 


Boys and girls are singing on the way to a dance: 

“Old Dan Tucker he got drunk 
Fell in a fire and kicked up a chunk; 

Red hot coals got in his shoe 

Oh, good granny how the ashes flew. 

“Cotton-eyed Joe with a tune from the South 
Everywhere I go I hear his big mouth 
I’d been rich a long time ago 
If it hadn’t been for knock-kneed Cotton-eyed Joe 

“Irwin County gals, won’t you come out tonight, 

Come out tonight, come out tonight ? 

Irwin County gals, won’t you come out tonight 
And dance by the light of the moon ?” 

Garlands of wild flowers and branches of pines enliven this drab room 
in a loghouse, for it is a festive occasion, a dance. Men are smoking, or 
chewing and spitting tobacco juice, and the ladies are dipping snuff while 
watching the young folk play twistification to the accompaniment of 

“Oh, come along, my pretty little miss 
Come along my honey! 

Oh, come along my pretty little miss 
And don’t go home till Monday. 

You are my sugar and tea; 





HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


21 


You are my darling; 

And now I’ll turn my sugar and tea 
And now I’ll turn my darling.” 

Fiddlers are tuning up. Now they are playing this song while the leader 
calls the couples to the floor: 

“I wouldn’t marry a pore gal 
And I’ll tell you the reason why; 

Her neck is long and skinny, 

And I’m afraid she’ll never die. 

Get along home, Cindy, Cindy; 

Get along home, Cindy, Cindy; 

Get along home, Cindy, Cindy; 

There’ll be room for a million more.” 

“Partners on the floor!” Four couples are arising. “First couple to the 
right; balance!” Lads and lassies are dancing before their opposites. 
“Swing.” They are joining hands and swinging around. “Swing your cor¬ 
ners!” Partners are swinging the nearest, right and left. “All promenade!” 
Partners are joining hands and promenading to their places. The four 
couples have made the circuit. “Gents to the right; ladies stand!” “Swing 
or cheat.” Girls are turning their backs to partners. “All promenade!” La¬ 
dies to the center; right hands cross. Partners are circling. “Left hand 
back! Reverse.” “Right hand to your partners; balance opposite!” “Swing!” 
“Balance your partner!” “Swing!” “Promenade All!” “Honor your cotil¬ 
lion ; seat your partners.” 1 2 


February 25, 1856. The Georgia Legislature has just passed the act 
to make a new county, Berrien, from Lowndes, Coffee, and Irwin. 


The Sixties. A disconsolate woman in homespun stands on the steps 
of a log house. Her husband, one of the Irwin County Cowboys, in jeans 
and brogans has shouldered his gun and is ready to join the Grays. The 
woman’s face is tear-stained, and her hands show marks of toil. The man 
has deep worry-lines on his brow and his lips are tight. A little boy in a 
homespun apron runs down the steps, grabs his father’s leg, and squeezes 
it. Henry puts his arms around Nancy, kisses her goodbye, then picks up 
his little son, who is crying. Quickly the man puts the child down and says, 
“Be a man and take care of your mamma,” then turns away. 

2 A band is playing “Dixie,” as Company A, the first company of soldiers 
from Irwin, the Irwin County Cowboys, with J. Y. McDuffie, captain; 
George Willcox, first lieutenant; J. J. Henderson, second lieutenant; Wil- 


1. “Saturday Night Sketches”—Herring. 

2. History of Irwin County—J. B. Clements, p. 117. 






22 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNT V 


liam Mathis, orderly sergeant, and Jacob Clemens, corporal, are marching 
off to battle. Women are waving their handkerchiefs with one hand and 
drying their tears with the other. Looking into the group of seventy soldiers, 
Nancy spots her husband, who bravely marches with the colors, and waves 
as long as she can see him. 


1865. Weeds have grown high in the field, near the log cabin while 
Nancy has struggled with a garden to keep her children from starving. A 
little spot of butterbeans, potatoes, and cabbage is almost parched. Green 
corn stalks have lost their vigor and turned a dead brown. A weary Con¬ 
federate soldier limps slowly up a winding path, almost closed by weeds. 
Dog fennels and wiregrass have grown in the yard, w T here flowers used to 
bloom. Nancy peeks through the shutters and glimpses her husband. She 
leaps to the front door and rushes to meet him. He grabs Nancy and takes 
her in his arms. 



CHAPTER IV 
FOUNDING OF TIFTON 

A two-story building, formidable for its time, a commissary, where the 
clerk sold everything from fertilizer to earbobs, or “yearbobs,” as the na¬ 
tives called them, stood at a little piney-woods flag station in the north¬ 
western corner of Berrien County. It was the day of all days—Saturday. 
In oxcarts men and women with their children had ridden miles to sell 
produce, trade at the commissary, which was as important to them as At¬ 
lanta stores are to us now, and listen to the buzz of the sawmill, a curiosity 
in this community. Another attraction for the traders was the thrilling sight 
of an engine, puffing down the Brunswick and Albany Railroad nearby. 

The two siren voices of the mill village were the train and mill whistles, 
which proclaimed the achievement of Tifton in the seventies. The latter 
whistle was the community clock, which regulated the habits of the popula¬ 
tion : folk awoke, ate, and slept by its sound. 

The train whistle was an oddity, announcing an important arrival, so 
alluring that the entire community followed the signal and met the train. 
The crew, under no modern strain, leisurely stepped from the cars, en¬ 
joyed greeting the spectators, delivered or received packages, discussed crops 
or the weather, and exchanged “yarns.” During the summer the train crew 
frequently stopped long enough for a watermelon cutting. Disregarding 
time tables, these men were in no hurry to leave Tifton. 

The Brunswick and Albany was the first train many people in the 
wiregrass ever saw. It was Mr. Elias Branch’s introduction to passenger 
and freight cars. When a little boy he came to Tifton from Chula and 
climbed a post to view the train. The engine puffing near his retreat 
frightened him so that he fell off the post. 

To return to the pioneer traders, women dipping snuff and men chewing 
tobacco, sat on the front porch of the commissary, their rendezvous, be¬ 
tween spells of trading, and gossiped. These families were identified by 
their patterns of calico, which previously had been bought in bolts for 
raiment. Babies in sw^add'ing clothes, old women, and girls of the court¬ 
ing age were alike true to the calico scheme. 

Between tobacco and snuff expectoration, the old folks from different 
families exchanged tales about “the good old days” and later ate their 
lunches of cheese, crackers, and sardines. Suddenly during their gossiping 
the buzz of voices ceased. The captain, owner of commissary and sawmill, 
was approaching. All classes, no matter how rough, held in high esteem this 
quiet, dignified man, who courteously recognized them, but who, like the 
Spectator, had little to say to anyone. Everybody stretched his neck to 
glimpse Captain Tift; this title was not only an expression of respect, but 
was an echo of the days when he piloted a Flint-River boat. 


23 


24 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 



Commissary which Henry Harding Tift built in 1872 


The captain had appeared and disappeared; the rural folk had exchanged 
their produce, traded, seen the train, listened to the sawmill and eaten their 
lunches. It was time to leave. Men untied oxen, which had waited under 
trees, and filled the carts with packages and families. Then the long jour¬ 
neys through the piney woods! These people would reach home before dark 
to escape the turpentine negroes, who were under the influence of “moon¬ 
shine.” 

Tifton with its sawmill, commissary, and railroad was to the Wire Grass 
“Georgia Crackers” a cynosure. For days before and after the trip, they 
would discuss the mill village. “A happy woman, like a happy nation, has 
no history.” Even in the seventies Tifton had made history. According to 
tradition, this tract of land had been traded for a shotgun; at another time, 
for a saddle, then for an ox. There is no tradition, however, about the fact 
that Tifton is located in the Sixth District of what was originally Irwin 
County and on parts of land numbers 290-291-308-309. The original Irwin 
County, from which Berrien was made, was surveyed into districts ap¬ 
proximately twenty-three square miles, and the districts then were sub¬ 
divided into lots seven eighths of one mile square, or 529 of such lots to 
the district. The lots were disposed of by the state by means of drawing, 
and a small grant fee exacted from the drawer. 





HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


25 


It is certain that a man with some capital and a dream of a vast for¬ 
tune, Abbott H. Brisbane, of Irwin County, after the original drawers had 
failed to pay the grant fees, paid them and took title to lots covering a vast 
territory, including the land where Tifton now stands. In 1840 Jones 
Lee, a resident of the Flint-River section, organized a company with the 
intention of attempting to build a railroad from Mobley’s Bluff, then head 
of navigation on the Ocmulgee, to Albany, on the Flint. 

“This company,” according to U. B. Phillips in History of Transpor¬ 
tation in the Eastern Cotton Belt pp. 273-274, “is notable chiefly for its 
irresponsible character and its experience with a gang of Irish laborers. 
A. H. Brisbane, its engineer agent, and later its president and general 
factotum, was a personage worthy of a place in literature. In some way, 
whether by service, courtesy, or presumption he had acquired the title of 
general. He had a peculiar gift of plausibility, a talent for oratory, and a 
passion for eulogizing all men and affairs with which he was associated. 
The climate of Irwin County, then in portions oppressively hot and malari¬ 
ous in actuality, was bracing and healthful in his description and sure to 
attract people over his railroad to summer resorts on the route. The gangs 
of Irish immigrants, which by some hook or crook he had enticed into the 
piney woods wilderness to grade his moneyless railroad were in his words 
‘several parties of the choicest white laborers’.” 

Late in 1841 when the grading of the road was two-thirds complete, 
the directors of the Ocmulgee and Flint River Railroad managed to save 
themselves from complete bankruptcy by borrowing five thousand dollars 
from the city of Savannah. “Brisbane now hit upon a new idea. He ap¬ 
pealed to the Catholic prelates for charity on behalf of the starving Irish 
laborers, whom the company was unable to pay or feed. Aid came in re¬ 
sponse from Bishop England at Charleston and Bishop Hughes, of New 
York. This, however, was hardly a sound basis for railroad progress.” (Loc. 

Cit.) 

By 1843 the company was hopelessly in debt, but “Brisbane, with his 
talent, was still able to describe the situation as hopeful. But a short while 
afterwards the starving Irish mutinied and beat Brisbane with stones and 
cudgels. Brisbane fled for his life, and that is the end of the Ocmulgee and 
Flint River Railroad story. Not a rail was ever laid upon it.” (Ibid., pages 
274 - 275 .) 

Many of the Irish laborers settled in the wire grass country, and from 
this source many of our best citizens have come. Take for example J. M. 
Duff, Tifton’s postmaster for several years; Brisbane brought Duff’s 
father to South Georgia. Other descendants of these laborers have proved 
too that Brisbane was partly right when he called his railroad gangs “sev¬ 
eral parties of the choicest white laborers.” 

Discouraged probably for the first time in his life, the “general” at- 


26 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


tempted to get rid of his worthless land holdings. On February 28, 1844, 
he sold to Abbott B. White for $200—less than five cents an acre—ten 
lots in the Sixth District of Irwin County. Nelson and A. F. Tift bought 
the same land, then in Berrien county, on May 5, i860. H. H. Tift later 
bought this tract of 4,900 acres for $10,000 from his uncles, Nelson and 
A. F. Tift. 

Henry Harding Tift worked for five years as a marine engineer on 
lines operating between New York and Southern coast ports. In 1869 Nel¬ 
son Tift, needing an expert machinist in the N. and A. F. Tift Manufac¬ 
turing Company of Albany, Georgia, wrote his nephew, Henry Harding 
Tift and persuaded him to come South. From the beginning the young man 
was an asset to his uncle’s business. Tift’s alertness and efficiency were 
rewarded when the young man was made general manager of the manu¬ 
facturing company. Soon, however, envisioning possibilities in another di¬ 
rection, Henry left his uncle to come to the piney woods of Berrien Coun¬ 
ty. Crossing the Flint River was for him and this wire grass section of 
Georgia another crossing of the Rubicon. 

In 1872 when he came to Berrien County to build his sawmill, Tift 
“picked up” his shanty and rode. The shanty was conveyed on a flat car, 
and his machinery, bought from Thomas Henry Willingham, was drawn 
by eight oxen from the village, Willingham, near Macon. (An interesting 
romantic touch is associated with the machinery because the former owner 
of it was the father of Bessie Willingham, who later became Mrs. H. H. 
Tift.) For several months Henry had to live a “rough and tumble” life, 
but the power to endure was a marked trait of his character. 

In the beginning Tift named his village Lena for his sweetheart far away 
in Connecticut. George Badger, who worked at the sawmill, resolving to 
be the first to honor the founder of the village, climbed a pine tree and 
nailed a placard with bold letters TIFTON, a condensation of Tift’s 
Town. 

The news of the sawmill was received with great interest at Riverside, 
a little station a few miles away. The merchants of Riverside, tired of wait¬ 
ing for the trade that never came, decided to move east. Soon after the 
completion of the mill, John Higdon and William S. Walker moved their 
store to the mill village, which the railroad recognized as a loading sta¬ 
tion. A little later a Jew store at Riverside was also moved to Tifton. 

A steady growth at the mill continued for the next few years. Each 
year, in fact, showed such a marked improvement that in 1879, Captain 
Tift bought an engine and built his first tram road. In the meantime there 
had been business changes in Tifton. The Jew had gone. In 1876 Jack 
Turner, who came to Tifton from Brookfield and went into partnership 
with James Fletcher, succeeded Higdon and Walker, who had moved 
their store to Alapaha. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


27 


One of the distinctive marks of the seventies was the continued growth 
of the Brunswick and Albany Railroad. Upon the success of the railroad 
depended the success of the mill. The lumber and naval stores business 
had increased so much that in 1879 the number of trains had doubled. A 
train was operated every day except Sunday. Before 1879 the train went to 
Albany on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; to Brunswick, on Tues- 
lays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The name of the railroad had been 
changed from the Brunswick and Albany to the Brunswick and Western. 

The transportation of passengers and freight was a small part of the rail¬ 
road business at that time. The growing lumber and naval stores business 
vitally affected the Brunswick and Western Railway. A time book kept by 
W. F. Barkuloo, of Brunswick, now in the hands of his nephew, O. V. 
Barkuloo, of Tifton, gives the following records for February 24, 1879: 
Brunswick and Western Passengers 


Brunswick to Hazlehurst 
Brunswick to Waynesville 

Brunswick to Albany_ 

Waynesville to Waycross 

Waynesville to Satilla_ 

Randolph to Waycross 

Waycross to Alapaha_ 

Waycross to Riverside_ 

Waycross to Waresboro 
Willacoochee to Brookfield 

Brookfield to Riverside_ 

Riverside to Ty Ty_ 

Ty Ty to Albany_ 


.1—$1.50 
-i— 1.25 
.1— 5.00 
1 — i-75 
.1— .50 
.2— 1.00 
1— 2.50 

1— 3.50 

2— 1.00 
1— 1.00 
1— .50 

1— .50 

2— 3.00 


$22.00 


On the same day the train carried the following freight at the rate 
stated: 


Waynesville 
Prentice __ 

Pearson_ 

Alapaha _ 

Hoboken __ 
Tifton 
Sumner_ 


$ 3.68 
3-02 
2.33 
9.00 
1.20 
8.74 
. 10.62 


$38.59 
























28 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


On February 27, 1879 the report of the Western trip of a lumber train 


is: 

Left Brunswick ___2 :oo a.m. 

Arrived Riverside___10:20 a.m. 

Left Riverside_11.00 a.m. 


Cars number 6, 44, 29, 8, 17, 45, 23, 5, 46, 16, 4, 47, 18, 12, 3, from 
Brunswick to Riverside. 

Loaded at Tifton 9 for (i.e. consigned to) D. C. Bacon. 6 for Cook 
Brothers. 

Time loading 2 1 /\. hours. 

The loading time of two hours seems unusually long until one realizes 
that Tifton had no sidetrack then. When Mr. Tift was ready to ship lum¬ 
ber, he blew a whistle that called to the mill all hands, who with the train 
crew loaded the cars. 

In 1879 Tifton was still merely a spot in the road. Ty Ty, although 
smaller than it is now, was the metropolis of this part of the wiregrass. 

The salient topic for conversation during part of this period was the 
famous Little River wreck. The passenger train west-bound on the Bruns¬ 
wick and Western (now the Atlantic Coast Line) left Tifton after night¬ 
fall late as usual. The bridge across the Little River, three miles west of 
Tifton, was much longer than it is now. As the train was rolling on to the 
eastern end of the bridge, the trucks of the combined mail and baggage 
car jumped the rails, and the first and second-class passenger cars fol¬ 
lowed. These cars fell nearly thirty feet into the river below and smashed 
on the logs and stumps of what was once the swamp. The forward cars 
were in two feet of water while only the rear of the first-class car rested 
on the bank. 

“Why half of the passengers and train crew were not killed is hard to 
understand. Yet everyone escaped alive and there were only a few minor 
scratches and bruises. Perhaps this condition was due to the fact that at 
that time nearly all trains slowed at bridges. The engineer stopped when 
he found he had no train and backed up near the scene. The conductor and 
crew crawled out of the baggage cars and went to the assistance of the 
passengers who were making more noise than a negro revival at the 
hallelujah stage . . . 

“After much hard work, the passengers were all released from the 
wreck, many of them being pulled through the narrow windows of the 
upper sides of the overturned cars. A big fire was built of crossties on the 
river bank, and there the men, women, and children were huddled to dry. 
There were only two white women on board, an aged grandmother and a 
young wife with a baby. The comfort of these was given first attention. 

“The engine and tender went on to the nearest telegraph office, and 





HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


29 


the wrecking train was called. At Riverside, a mile east of the wreck, 
there was a water tank, and help was called from there, as well as with 
the aid of a pole-car the white passengers were carried across the bridge 
during the early morning hours, and ultimately got on their way, nearly 
a day late. 

“The wreck was a subject for fireside talks for the country side for many 
months. People miles away insisted that they heard the crash, and every¬ 
body for ten miles around took a holiday next day and visited the scene. It 
was several days before the track was clean.” (John L. Herring, The Tif- 
ton Gazette, July 25, 1919.) 

Occasionally now old timers chuckle over one incident in the wreck. 
The engineer peered through one of the windows to get the lay of the land 
before attempting to bring passengers out. In one corner of the car he 
saw an old woman apparently doubled up with pain. He called her, but 
she made no answer. Perhaps the poor old soul was dead, he thought. Since 
the passenger car lay on its side, it was necessary for the engineer to climb 
to an open window before he could get into the car. Dropping inside, he 
rushed to the aged woman. If she were dying he hoped to rescue her be¬ 
fore the last breath. If she were still alive perhaps he could save her. 
Putting his hand on her shoulder he shook her gently. The old lady turned 
her head and her cold blue eyes pierced his face as she replied, “Leave me 
be, son, leave me be. Ain’t it enough to shake my pipe outer my mouth 
without trying to keep me from finding it?” 


CHAPTER V 

WIRE GRASS IN THE EIGHTIES 

Boj^s in jeans and girls in gingham were playing gleefully in the yard 
that surrounded a little pine-board house. Some of the “scholars” were 
playing townball; some were dropping the handkerchief; others were rid¬ 
ing sapplings. From the schoolhouse to the deep woods was but a step; 
in fact, balls often lodged in the trees of the forest. The clang of a cow 
bell! Children scattered and rushed to “books,” for recess had ended. 

This little house was a distinctive and versatile addition to the sawmill 
village in the eighties, because it was the setting for the Three R’s, “taught 
to the tune of a hickory stick,” the scene of trials in the justice of peace 
court, ice cream festivals, and sermons. This shack, which stood near what 
is now the Primitive Baptist Church, had meager furnishings: hard mili¬ 
tary benches with no backs, a rough table for the teacher, and wooden 
shutters, which threw a gloom over the room in rainy weather. Then the 
little children, like the lightning bug, had to flash their own light. 

During the early part of the eighties there were two other houses that 
had no connection with the sawmill, a small shack that stood on an acre 
of ground in the northern part of the village and a widow’s home in what 
is now the southwestern part of Tifton. 

There was in the village also stronger moonshine than the kind that 
entices lovers; a saloon stood on a strip of land that was not for sale. 
Tifton’s father and his brother bitterly opposed the sale of liquor, but 
could not stop it. Although the flag station was only a rough spot in the 
woods, the prophetic eye could envison a progressive town. 

“In 1880 Georgia exported 570,000 gallons of turpentine and 92,000 
barrels of resin and pitch, for the first time threatening to rival North 
Carolina . . .” (Roswell Earle Smith’s unpublished manuscript) Georgia 
was also filling a very important place in the lumber industry. Tifton in the 
center of a vast turpentine and lumber section was obliged to grow. A 
decided improvement during this period was a sidetrack on the Brunswick 
and Western Railroad. Soon afterwards a post office with W. O. Tift 
postmaster and a telegraph with W. W. Pace as operator, were establish¬ 
ed in the commissary. 

The growing business in lumber and naval stores meant increased pros¬ 
perity to the little towns in the wire grass. It, however, meant something 
else: Southwest Georgia became as rough as the western frontier. Before 
the advent of the turpentine industry in Georgia, this section was peaceful, 
and the majority of citizens, honest. It is true that some ruffians were em¬ 
ployed at sawmills, but living in towns, they were more or less isolated. 
The turpentine gangs, on the other hand, spread over a wider territory. 


30 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


31 


Native South Georgians, therefore, began carrying pistols for protection; 
in fact, weapons were a part of the costumes. N. L. Turner, who was one 
of the best informed of the old settlers, said that he could identify his 
friends by the sound of their pistols as we identify now by the honk of 
automobile horns. Men carried pistols to town, parties, and to church. 

Captain Tift was careful about selecting sober men for mill hands, but 
not all sawmill and turpentine men were as careful as he. Consequently 
when the sawmill and turpentine bullies, with their disrespect for law and 
their money for buying liquor, mingled with the pistol-carrying natives, 
there was combustion. 

Despite the conscientious efforts of H. H. Tift, W. O. Tift, and other 
reputable citizens, life in Tifton was uncertain. A short time before his 
death W. O. Tift made the statement that there were a few Saturday 
nights in the early eighties when a man was not killed in the town. Mrs. 
Katherine Tift Jones, his daughter who has achieved international fame 
as an interpreter of negro dialect, when a little girl lived in Tifton. She 
remembers that her parents would not allow her to leave home on Satur¬ 
day. The late Enoch Bowen, who owned a store in Tifton fifty-eight years 
ago, said that four men received fatal blows near his store during his first 
two years here. Men fought for fun. Bowen, a peaceful gentleman, used 
his iron safe as a barricade when the shooting began and came out of his 
hiding place when the excitement ended. 

During this period the little school house was the scene of a tragedy. 
On a sweltering day in 1882 Judge J. J. F. Goodman, justice of peace for 
the 1314 District, Georgia Militia, called his court together in a session. 
The building was filled to capacity when court opened: the crowd 
that chose the court term for business was there and a large group who had 
come out of curiosity; for rumors of serious trouble had spread. 

“Harrell and Guest, Martin Harrell and G. W. Guest, operated a tur¬ 
pentine still about two miles east of Tifton, and a little farther on G. B. 
Mayo and Company had a loading place on the railroad for their naval 
stores plant, which was out a mile or so in the woods. Between these two, 
troubles arose of a source only too common—negro labor—and when it 
had reached an acute stage, litigation over some timber added fuel to the 
flame; this growing out of a disputed land line . . . Harrell and Guest 
took out a possessory warrant for the timber against Mayo and Company. 
Later a letter written to G. B. Mayo, signed by Harrell, who was the 
active member of the firm, in which it is said some very abusive language 
was used. Tradition has it that this letter was written by Jordan, book¬ 
keeper for Harrell, but it was shown by him to Harrell, who signed it. 
It was what Mayo said when he received the letter that led people to ex¬ 
pect trouble.” . . . J. L. Herring “The Tifton War.” . . . The Tifton 
Gazette, March 22, 1916. 


32 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Trouble did come, for pistol shots broke up the court and wounded or 
killed several people. “The next week the justice of peace resigned his com¬ 
mission, applied for license to preach, and a short time afterwards organ¬ 
ized the Tifton Methodist church in the same pine shack which was once 
the seat of war” . . . Tifton Gazette. 

As the years passed the town knew less of violent crime. No institution 
probably has contributed so much to the civilization of the Tift County 
section as the church. Probably the oldest Baptist church in this section is 
the Zion Hope Baptist church organized in 1877 by the Reverend W. W. 
Webb. After the organization of this Missionary Baptist church, no 
churches were organized in the vicinity of Tifton for several years, al¬ 
though visiting ministers occasionally served various settlements. The 
Methodist Episcopal Church of Tifton was organized by J. J. F. Good¬ 
man. The members were J. J. F. and Rhoda Goodman, their son, J. O. 
Goodman, John B. and Julia A. Greene, Mrs. J. E. Knight, and her 
mother, Mrs. Anderson. Except for the pastor the church was organized 
with only two male members. 

The shanty in which the church was organized was burned, and in 
1884 a larger building was erected near what is now the intersection of 
Tift Avenue and Fourth Street. The first floor was used for a school and 
church; and the second floor, as a Masonic hall. In 1887 this building was 
also burned by an incendiary. 

H. H. Tift contributed lots for a church and a parsonage, and in 1888 
workmen began building a wooden structure, which was to cost $2,000, 
on the site of the present Methodist church building and finished it in 
1889. Three attempts to burn this building were made during the process 
of construction; but after this first attempt, church members guarded the 
building. The incendiary was shot and wounded by one of the guards. 

The church at first was a mission of the Alapaha circuit. The first board 
of trustees was composed of J. E. Knight, J. I. Clements, and Thomas M. 
Green, the uncle of Miss Leola Greene, now a veteran newspaper writer. 

In 1884 the Baptists of this section became active again and organized 
the New River Baptist Church. The Reverend W. W. Webb and the 
Revertnd W. F. Cox took a prominent part in the organization. About this 
time the Tifton Baptists organized a church called Mt. Hermon. This 
church, the name of which later changed to the First Baptist Church of 
Tifton, originally had five members. J. K. Graydon was the first clerk. 
The members of Mt. Hermon met on alternating Sundays in the Methodist 
Building. There was no regular Baptist preacher until 1890. 

Besides the churches, school, and citizens already mentioned, several 
new people added interest to the town during the eighties. In 1880 John 
Burwell Greene and his family came from Taylor County to Tifton. 
Traveling in a covered wagon, drawn by oxen, the Greenes stopped at an 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


33 


old mill in Coffee County and camped one night. Miss Leola Greene, one 
of Greene’s children, though just five years old at that time, remembers 
the trip. Thomas Mitchell, who was postmaster part of this period had 
preceded his brother John B., to Tifton. In 1883 J. M. Williford, of Ma¬ 
con County, came to a farm four miles from Tifton and lived here until 
his death in 1924. 

Jack Golden came in 1885; prior to this date he had lived a while at 
Riverside, a small settlement three miles west of Tifton. When twelve 
years old he attended school in Tifton, and later when sixteen years old 
came to work at H. H. Tift’s sawmill. After working here a while, Gold¬ 
en owned a drug store with Jake Paulk and Dr. N. Peterson, then with 
Mr. Pete Strozier. Mr. Golden’s work was later in Love and Buck’s 
General Store, then in a machine shop. He entered the hardware business 
in 1902. 

The late Enoch Bowen moved from Brookfield to Tifton in 1887 and 
bought the store that W. W. Pace had operated. The stock varied from 
pins and matches to coffins. Bowen was also railroad and express agent. 
One Christmas during this period one hundred twenty-two jugs of liquor 
were unloaded at the express office. He began the undertaking business 
in 1888 and was a licensed embalmer in 1895. This business is the oldest 
one in Tift County and the only one to bear the Bowen name. 

C. C. Guest, who came to Tifton in 1889, clerked in Bowen’s store. He 
boarded with J. I. Clements until the latter became manager of the Sadie 
Hotel. Guest remembers his first meals at this hotel. 

C. W. Fulwood in 1888 moved from Alapaha to Tifton, where he 
opened the first law office in the town. 

In addition to the churches, the building contributions to Tifton were 
Captain Tift’s home in 1885 and the Sadie Hotel in 1889. These buildings 
allured sightseers far and near. The Tift residence at that time was pala¬ 
tial to the natives of the wire grass and other sections. J. L. Phillips built 
the Sadie Hotel in 1889; containing fifty rooms it was rare then. This 
hotel was headquarters for many “drummers,” who if in this section would 
arrange to spend the night in Tifton. 

The climax of the eighties for Southwest Georgia was an event on No¬ 
vember 25, 1888. The little town in the wildwoods was the gayest it had 
ever been. Whites, blacks, storekeepers, clerks, sawmill men, turpentine 
men, “bosses,” women, and children feeling the spirit of the day had gath¬ 
ered for the celebration. Since August when the laying of the rails north 
and south of Tifton had begun, the town had longed to see that engine and 
hear a new whistle. At last, this engine was puffing an announcement of 
an introduction of a new era—the arrival of the first passenger train on the 
Georgia Southern and Florida! 


CHAPTER VI 
“THE GAY NINETIES” 

It was the day of crinoline, leg o’mutton sleeves, psyche knots, tableaux, 
hops, shadow parties, the first Tifton tobacco, exhibits at the midsummer 
fair in the Garden Empire City, and chautauquas. It was a day of prog¬ 
ress—the “gay nineties.” The Georgia-Southern and Florida Railway and 
the Sadie hotel had significant roles in this drama of social and business 
progress. In Tift County now are people who remember the first Georgia- 
Southern and Florida engine that puffed down Tifton rails and the gay 
events at the Sadie Hotel. 

The men who supported the G. S. and F. were primarily interested in 
the land along their right of way. Knowing the value of the lumber, they 
advertised that the best pine timber in Georgia was in their territory. Then 
they said to the sawmill men and manufacturers, “If you will buy the 
machinery, we will haul it free and will furnish without rental such side¬ 
tracks as you need.” This liberal policy brought results. “By 1890 Geor¬ 
gia exported 7,251,000 gallons of turpentine and 841,000 barrels of resin 
and pitch and by 1900, 14,600 gallons of turpentine and 1,409,000 bar¬ 
rels of resin and pitch, completely eclipsing North Carolina and becom¬ 
ing the foremost naval stores state in the union.” (Rosewell Earle Smith, 
op. cit.) The Georgia-Southern and Florida Railroad was partly respon¬ 
sible for the vast increase. 

Tifton had a vital reaction to the new railroad; new business men moved 
to the wiregrass town and a period of building began. E. Gibson, M. W. 
Gaskins, I. S. Bowen, O. M. Tift, and the Padrick brothers built general 
stores in Tifton. Dr. J. C. Goodman built the Tifton Drug Store in 1889. 
In 1890 C. A. Williams erected the town’s first brick building for his livery 
stables. Soon there was a brick drug store, occupied by Peterson and Paulk. 
With W. A. Henderson’s furniture store and H. H. Tift’s addition of 
hardware to his stock, Tifton was becoming versatile. 

By 1890 a number of business men had built homes in Tifton and had 
brought their families here to live. On December 29, 1890, the town was 
incorporated by act of the legislature. The Tift property lying within the 
incorporated limits was laid off in blocks, and lots were placed for sale. 
W. H. Love, claim agent for the Brunswick and Western was elected first 
mayor. Aldermen H. H. Tift, E. P. Bowen, B. T. Allen, J. C. Goodman, 
J. A. Alexander, and J. A. McCrea completed the personnel of the first 
city council. 

There appeared in the “Albany Herald” during 1892 an article about 
Tifton by a correspondent who signed himself Jay Ell Aitch. John L. 
Herring. Excerpts from the article are: “This little city, which five years 


34 



CAMP FIRE GIRLS OF THE NINETIES 
Mrs. W. W. Banks, who organized the Camp Fire Girls, is in the center of second row 










36 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


ago consisted of a still, sawmill, and depot, now has 1,200 inhabitants, 
eleven business houses, two restaurants, a good market, one of the best 
hotels in Southwest Georgia, an academy building, costing $3,200, which 
has about ninety pupils in attendance, a Methodist Church costing $2,200. 
Added to this it has a mayor and council who are working like beavers to 
improve their town, and a host of citizens who are ably seconding their ef¬ 
forts . . . When the city was laid out, no real estate was sold unless the 
purchaser agreed to erect a first class building thereon, and no land in the 
city is sold to negroes.” 

The business houses of Tifton depended mainly upon the lumber and 
naval stores industries for trade during the nineties. There were in or 
near Tifton seven large mills: Cecil Lumber Company, Oglesby Brothers, 
Adel Investment Company, Beckwith and Rogers, H. H. Tift, Weston 
and Gunn, and S. R. Weston and Son. These mills running at full time 
gave employment to about one hundred hands each, seven hundred in all. 
Besides, there were a number of smaller mills employing about twenty-five 
hands each. There were nineteen turpentine farms, employing an average 
of sixty hands each or a total of one thousand one hundred-forty. 

No lumber town exceeded Tifton in progress; this rank was due to the 
prominence and intelligence of H. H. Tift. Soon after the formation of the 
Georgia Lumber Exchange, Captain Tift was elected president of the 
organization, and Tifton made temporary headquarters. “The Northwest 
Lumberman,” a magazine of national prominence, recognized H. H. Tift’s 
ability: “Captain Tift will soon complete a large shingle mill and will 
ship Georgia yellow pine shingles into Connecticut and other eastern 
states. Once introduced, they will hold their own against all others.” Cap¬ 
tain Tift was referred to as “the moving and controlling genius of this 
region.” 

Besides the new railroad, the Sadie Hotel was a vital factor in the prog¬ 
ress of Tifton. “Drummers” when traveling anywhere near the “gate city 
to South Georgia and Florida” would arrange to spend a while at this 
hotel. The train crew and passengers on the Georgia-Southern and Flor¬ 
ida train ate lunch every day at the “Sadie.” 

This hotel was built by Captain J. L. Phillips and named for his daugh¬ 
ter, who, according to comments in the Gazette, must have been a lovely 
character. During the nineties Tifton was very cosmopolitan: people from 
Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, California, Tennessee, and Missis¬ 
sippi lived in the little city. These people with other Tiftonites entertained 
frequently with whist parties, teas, dances, kimono parties, and suppers. 
One lady, who lived in the country, would kill two birds with one shot: 
in evening attire she would bring a load of potatoes in a wagon to sell 
before attending a party. 

The elaborateness of the various entertainments was in harmony with 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


37 


the gay spirit of the charming little town. The Tifton Gazette of 1892 
referred to a complimentary hop given by W. H. Love, first mayor of Tif¬ 
ton. Shadow parties were also among the styles of entertainment: gentle¬ 
men chose their partners as ladies appeared behind sheet screens. Often 
the Sadie Hotel parlor vibrated with laughter when belles and beaux 
learned the various choices. 

“The Sadie,” although commodious for that time, had only one bath¬ 
room, and hotel guests had to pay a quarter for a bath. One time a care¬ 
less gentleman had allowed his bill to accumulate so much that the pro¬ 
prietor of the hotel after several warnings locked the man in the bath room 
as security for the debt. The water prisoner was released when a collec¬ 
tion was taken for the amount owed. 

No phase of life was neglected at “The Sadie,” which was not only a 
social rendezvous, but the scene of literary events. The first history club in 
Tifton, organized by Mrs. W. W. Banks, met sometimes in the hotel par¬ 
lor. 

The designer for the fashionable gowns worn on these occasions and 
later was Mrs. Annie Bennet, a needle artist. Many nights the whirr of 
her machine announced tucks—tucks—ruffles for sunbursts shirtwaists and 
dresses. Light from her lamps often streamed from her windows at mid¬ 
night. 

Speaking of styles, the Tifton Gazette of 1892 quoted invecties against 
crinoline and hoopskirts as strong as the protests later against short skirts. 
A bill was introduced into the legislature prohibiting manufacture and sale 
of hoopskirts. In the Kentucky legislature there was a bill to prohibit “the 
manufacture, loan, and wearing of the monstrosities. Fair ones will not 
be allowed to make balloons of themselves without protests.” One of the 
“hairdos,” the psyche, was criticized then as much as bobbed hair later. 

The Tifton Gazette of 1892 also gave a quaint description of a leap- 
year party: “Last night was a conspicuous evening with fair ladies of Tif¬ 
ton, who essayed to give a leap-year party worthy of their rushing little 
city. 

“The events transpired at Park’s Hall, and by 9 o’clock the hall was 
crowded with the youth, beauty, and chivalry of the little city and a num¬ 
ber of ladies and gentlemen from abroad. A colored string band from Cor- 
dele furnished music. Dancing was indulged in to a late hour, when a re¬ 
cess was taken and dainty refreshments served at the Suwannee Restau¬ 
rant. After which dancing continued until wee small hours.” 

The church grounds were often the scene of ice cream festivals—genuine 
ice cream made of eggs and milk. Churns of custard were frozen and sold 
with genuine pound cake. Little girls in gay, frilled dresses, carried waiters 
filled with bouquets for sale. Beaux would buy bouquets for ten cents or 
a quarter and present to their sweethearts. Expensive corsages were un- 


38 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


known then, and girls enjoyed home-made nosegays as much as girls now 
enjoy their orchids. Money collected for ice cream and flowers was added 
to the building fund. 

This fund, too, was increased by box suppers, where boxes of delicious 
food were auctioned with the gusto of modern tobacco auctioneers. 

Another attraction, social and educational, was the chautauquas, where 
there appeared pianists, violinists, singers, and lecturers. The Bowmen Opera 
House, where the artists presented their programs, was the scene of fash¬ 
ionable displays also; for ladies attending wore their best clothes, even 
decollete gowns. 

Bowen’s Opera House, which was over what is now Rowe’s store had 
a conspicuous place in the nineties and later. Many celebrities spoke or 
performed inside those walls: Sam Jones, General John B. Gordon, and 
Dewey Heywood’s New York Stars were among the number. 

A crude type of the movie was introduced at the opera house during this 
period. Two incidents are associated with this movie. One night several 
boys were watching the picture of a train moving down the track. Sud¬ 
denly it flashed larger and seemed to be moving toward the audience. The 
boys reeled back and fell out of their seats. On another occasion a villain 
was playing the leading part in a picture. A negro sat there watching the 
fiendish acts, growing more angry every minute, until he shot the villain 
on the screen. 

Besides these programs, Tifton often presented its own talent on the 
stage. A typical program was given on November 4, 1892: 

Vocal quartette—Come Where My Love Lies 

Tableau—On the Fence 

Vocal solo—Miss Jackson 

Tableau—The Stitch of Love 

Vocal solo—Mr. Julian Cole 

Tableau—The Five Foolish Virgins 

Instrumental solo—Mr. H. J. Brinson 

Tableau—Coming Through the Rye 

Vocal solo—Mrs. H. H. Tift 

Tableau—At the Shrine of St. Agnes 

Vocal solo—Mr. E. H. Tift 

The entire program was concluded with a laughable cantata of the 
grasshopper. 

A good example of the literary club programs of the day was given in 
February 1895: Reading from Tennyson—Miss Williams; Song—Harriet 
Goodman; Recitation—J. G. Padrick; Reading. “Essay on Man”—F. G. 
Boatright; Song—Misses Katie and Harriet Goodman and Catherine 
Tift; Duet—Misses Baynard; Recitation—Miss Florrie Smith. 

Among the favorite sports of the period were bicycle and surrey riding. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


39 


Bicycle races were even a feature of the fair. The Tifton Gazette referred 
to Dr. N. Peterson, J. J. Golden, and F. G. Boatright’s bicycle races. Gold¬ 
en took first prize for two minutes and fifty-nine seconds. Peterson came 
second with a score of three minutes and eleven seconds. Ladies and girls 
rode bicycles. Mr. J. A. Sibley was very generous with his surrey; he fre¬ 
quently took his friends for a ride. 

Tobacco cultivation, destined to reach the throne in Tift County, be¬ 
gan in the nineties. In 1892, however, the editor of the Gazette warned 
farmers not to be too much excited about tobacco. During this year one 
thousand pounds of tobacco were made to the acre in Tift. The Mid¬ 
summer Fair exhibited tobacco, vegetables, and fruits. 

Although farming was a subordinate industry and in an early state, this 
section had promoters of agriculture. In 1892 a temporary land associa¬ 
tion headed by H. H. Tift as president and J. F. Wilson as secretary was 
formed with 150,000 acres represented. The purpose of the organization 
was to “Thoroughly and intelligently advertise this section of the state 
throughout the west and northwest, inviting farmers of that less favored 
section to come, abide in lower Georgia, and be happy.” Real estate agents 
from other states for example, C. C. S. Baldridge, located in South Geor¬ 
gia and tried to get their friends at home to move to the wiregrass. 

Various farmers surrounding Tifton were the scenes of valuable ex¬ 
periments in raising fruit trees and grape vines. At one time it seemed 
that this section might be recognized as a peach center, for the Tift- 
Snow farm had developed one of the best small orchards in the state. In 
1894 there were in the vicinity of Tifton the following peach orchards: 
Tift and Snow, 60,000 trees; W. O. Tift, 12,000; H. Holdane, 5,000; 
A. F. Hoffman, 3,000; W. S. Louther, 3,000; E. H. Tift, 3,000; W. H. 
Mallory, 10,000; and C. H. Goodman, 2,000. There were 60,000 grape 
vines on the Tift Brothers’ farm. In 1896 Tifton was given recognition 
as a fruit town when J. A. Sibley and W. O. Tift were elected secretary 
and treasurer—respectively of the Georgia Fruit Growers’ Association. 
In 1894 Tifton’s peach market exceeded that of Fort Valley. 

One of the biggest factors in encouraging an interest in farming during 
the nineties was the Cycloneta farm, established by Willie B. Sparks, in 
connection with the Georgia, Southern and Florida Railroad. The land, 
which was donated by H. H. Tift, was used as an experiment station to 
show the possibilities of the soil. The officials of the G. S. & F. went to 
the trouble and expense to attract farmers to this section and to improve 
those who were already here with the importance of diversification. Large 
parties of Pennsylvanians, Ohioans, and others came to South Georgia to 
inspect the Cycloneta (now Sunsweet) farm, and it was largely through 
the efforts of Willis B. Sparks that many outsiders located in Wire Grass 
Georgia. The settlement known as Little Pennsylvania, located two miles 


40 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


north of Tifton was different; it was the result of the success of two 
Pennsylvanians in this section, U. S. Louther and A. F. Hoffman. 

Four miles southeast of Tifton there was also a Swedish settlement, 
which included twelve frugal and industrious families of the best class 
of Swedes. A hundred acres of land were cultivated here by Andy Lund- 
quist, for whom the settlement was named Lumville. 

After a trip into South Georgia in 1892, Harry Stillwell Edwards, 
later a writer of international renown, wrote a letter to the Atlanta Con¬ 
stitution. Excerpt from letter follows: “All admit that the competition of 
Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas will eventually destroy the cotton busi¬ 
ness of Georgia; overproduction has already crippled it. And some day the 
magnificent pine forests will all be gone and with them the lumber busi¬ 
ness. If tobacco as a profitable crop and the manufacture of tobacco as a 
business can take the place of these, the state will grow rich, instead of 
poorer.” 

Southwest Georgia did give great promise in tobacco during the nine¬ 
ties. The experiments in the growing and curing of tobacco on the Cvclo- 
neta farm—Cycloneta was named for a cyclone that swept that spot— 
and the donation of tobacco seed by G. S. and F. influenced many farmers 
to experiment with the bright leaf variety. The only problem was the lack 
of a suitable market. John Haralson in 1896 introduced home-consumption 
by establishing a small cigar factory, but his enthusiasm was short lived. 
Difficulties in marketing caused interest to wane and finally stopped the 
cultivation. 

Despite the Gazette and the Cycloneta farmers’ attempts to make the 
farmers of this section diversify their crops, despite the fact that the Tifton 
Canning and Manufacturing Company stood in constant need of truck 
products, King Cotton ruled the farming industry in this section with even 
a firmer hand than in the present day. Of course, there is much more cot¬ 
ton produced now than there was at that time, for farming has replaced 
the lumber and naval stores business as the most important industry. 

From the beginning, the Tifton Gazette sponsored wmrthy campaigns; 
the diversification of farming was only one of them. In April 1891, B. T. 
Allen established in Sparks a weekly newspaper called the Berrien County 
Pioneer. In October of that year he moved his paper to Tifton, changing 
its name to the Tifton Gazette. The earliest copy of the Gazette now 
available is the issue of January 22, 1892. 

For several years after the founding of Tifton, the schools here were 
very poor—cold and bare log cabins where teachers, not w T ell trained, at¬ 
tempted to drill the fundamentals of reading, writing, and arithmetic into 
the heads of indifferent “scholars,” who learned to the tune of the hickory 
stick. Teachers received six or seven cents a day for each student. 

About 1898 the little building that served as school house and Masonic 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


41 


hall was burned by some enemy of education. After this fire Tifton parents 
were left without a school. Not many of them could afford to send their 
children to a boarding school, and most of the town people were eager to 
give their children the advantages of an education. Fortunately there were 
two schools near Tifton: one was on the old Union Road where Abraham- 
Baldwin now stands; the other, on the site of the present County Alms 
House. 

The parents in this growing lumber town, however, were not satis¬ 
fied until there was a school building near their homes. True to the 
progressive spirit, the citizens in 1891 came together to form a stock 
company for the purpose of establishing and supporting a school. The Tif¬ 
ton Institute, a $3,800 building, was the result. The work of the first 
school began in the early fall of 1891, under direction of Professor L. A. 
Murphey, with the following monthly tuition rates: primary $2.00; inter¬ 
mediate $2.50; high school, $3.00. H. H. Tift, W. O. Tift, W. W. 
Timmons, E. P,. Bowen, and W. H. Love composed the first board of 
education. 

When J. J. Huggins w T as principal of the Tifton Institute in 1892, 
there were just 75 pupils attending. During the summer of 1893, the 
Tifton Educational Company, through its board of directors, deciding to 
put their school on a new basis, placed it in the hands of Professor E. 
J. Williams. Referring to the situation, the Gazette on August 4 said: 
“He will conduct the school upon its merits under the supervision of a 
board of trustees to be chosen by the patrons of the school. Really, the 
building is turned over to the community free of rent, provided the 
citizens will maintain a first class school in it.” The lowering of the tui¬ 
tion that followed probably accounted in a large part for the increase in 
the size of the student body. Anyway under “Zeke” Williams, the in¬ 
crease from 75 to 150 students made necessary the employment of an as¬ 
sistant, Miss Martha Williams, and a music teacher, Miss Ella C. Bacon. 

In 1896 when John O’Quinn became principal an even larger faculty 
was necessary. Miss Ina Coleman had charge of intermediate work; Miss 
Edna McQueen, of the primary department; Miss Myrtle Pound taught 
music; and Miss Sally Perry, art. Among the Tifton Institute pupils at 
that time were Mrs. Harriet Goodman Harman, Mrs. Edna Cox Shaw, 
Mrs. Lena Gordon Williams, Mrs. Ella Youmans Coleman, Mrs. Ellie 
Millie Cox, Mrs. Blanche McLeod Harrell, Guy A. Cox, Lester You¬ 
mans, Elbert Youmans, and J. A. Walker. 

Fortunately the early teachers in the Tifton Institute were comparatively 
superior men and women. Even then the school was weak enough. 

Like the school and the newspaper, the Tifton churches flourished dur¬ 
ing the nineties. The growth of the Methodists and Baptist Churches cor¬ 
responded to the growth of the towm. 


42 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Early in 1895 the Baptists decided to erect a brick church. This plan 
could not have been effected had it not been for the enthusiasm of B. T. 
Allen, the determination of numerous women, and the benevolence of 
H. H. Tift. The April 8, 1895 issue of the Tifton Gazette was edited by 
ladies in honor of the laying of the corner stone of the new church. The 
staff was as follows: editor-in-chief, Mrs. Geo H. Padrick; associate 
editors, Mrs. B. T. Cole, and Mrs. W. T. Hargrett; local and society 
editors, Mrs. J. W. Greene and Mrs. W. N. Cole; business managers, 
Mrs. F. T. Snell, Mrs. J. K. Carswell, Mrs. W. W. Timmons, and the 
Reverend F. T. Snell, an Englishman, who succeeded the Reverend O. M. 
Irwin, the first regular pastor. 

The Methodists were progressing too. The first notable growth was in 
the fall of 1885, when a revival conducted by the regular pastor, G. R. 
Parker, assisted by the Reverend E. M. Whiting, brought in nearly thirty 
members. 

In 1895 Southwest Georgia was enjoying prosperity and Tifton was 
in the center of it all. A statement written by the editor of the Worth 
County Local after a visit to Tifton follows: 

“There is not another section of the state that is receiving the same 
amount of voluntary advertising, which, wdthin itself, speaks volumes for 
Tifton and adjacent country for twenty miles around. 

“It is true, Tifton enjoys advantages, by virtue of her neighboring little 
towns, and will hold her place as a central point around which fruit and 
truck growers will gather, but as time comes on apace, all of her nearby 
territory will be taken up and the ever increasing stream of newcomers 
will be compelled to reach out into the inviting and almost inexhaustible 
territory that is to be found reaching far into the surrounding country.” 

There were four important business developments in Tifton during the 
middle and last of the nineties: the establishment of two new railroads, 
the securing of banking facilities, the building of a telephone exchange, 
and the sale of the Tifton Gazette. 

When P. H. Fitzgerald, at that time editor of the American Tribune, 
the official organ of the Grand Army of the Republic, conceived the idea 
of establishing a colony of old soldiers in Georgia, where they would be 
free from the blizzards and freezing cold of the northwest, his dream was 
not far from realization. In July, 1895, the first payment on the lands was 
made, and from that time there began an increasing immigration from the 
North and West. Within a year’s time, there were six or seven thousand 
colonists located in Fitzgerald. 

The Georgia and Alabama Railroad, within four miles of the site 
chosen for the colony city and with the grading completed to the towrn, 
was urged to rush its work to an end. Captain H. H. Tift, who had a 
tram road extending within thirteen miles of Fitzgerald, saw a possibility 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


43 


of opening a shorter route to the colony. Although he began his work 
six months after the corporation, the Tifton and Northeastern Railroad 
entered Fitzgerald only ninety days after the Georgia and Alabama. By 
the latter part of May 1896, the new railroad was doing a substantial 
business under the following officers: H. H. Tift, president; W. O. Tift, 
vice-president; F. G. Boatright, traffic manager; E. J. Williams, Jr., 
cashier. 

Another railroad was built during the nineties, the Tifton, Thomasville 
and Gulf. On August 10, 1899 an immense crowd celebrated with a bar¬ 
becue the completion of the first fifteen miles of the T. T. & G. railway. 
The Business Men’s League of Tifton with Briggs Carson, chairman, and 
J. H,. Hillhouse, secretary, raised about eight hundred dollars for the cele¬ 
bration. Special trains brought crowds from a distance. They came from 
the country “horse, foot, and dragoon, in cart, wagon, buggy, and horse¬ 
back, and their families came with them.” 1 

Another sign of progress was the banking business. Late in 1895 Messrs. 
Julian, Love, and Buck filled an important need by establishing a general 
banking business in connection with their wholesale grocery house. It was 
not, however, until the establishment of the Bank of Tifton in 1896 that 
the banking facilities of the town compared favorably with those of the 
best towns in Southwest Georgia. Practically all of the prosperous citizens 
of Tifton contributed toward the new bank. When the building was com¬ 
pleted and the bank capitalized at $50,000, the achievement was the result 
of a community enterprise. W. S. Witham was made president; Captain 
H. H. Tift, vice-president; C. W. Marsh, cashier. 

The Telephone Exchange, too, was organized in 1896 by C. W. Ful- 
wood, who was its first president, Briggs Carson, C. W. E. Marsh, W. O. 
Tift, and W. O. Padrick. The central office was located in the Tift 
building. During the same year, long distance telephone connections were 
established with Ty Ty, Sumner, Poulan, and other points along the 
Brunswick and Western Railroad. The end of this line was located in the 
wholesale establishment of Julian, Love, and Buck, to whose enterprise 
the tow T n was indebted for the line. 

In May, 1895, B. T. Allen sold the Tifton Gazette to C. W. Fulwood 
and C. C. S. Baldridge. On May 17, the new editors came forward with 
the following statement of their policy: “It will be the earnest and constant 
care of the new management to place the Gazette among the best country 
weeklies of the state and to make it a potent factor in the upbuilding and 
general improvement of the section which is its peculiar territory.” 

The change in control of the Gazette was obviously a good one. Bald¬ 
ridge and Fulwood were primarily interested in the development of real 


1. Tifton Gazette. 



44 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


estate in this section, and it was a time when possibilities of the land need¬ 
ed intensive advertising. 

In November, 1895, the paper was sold to a stock company, composed of 
C. W. Fulwood, J. L. Herring, W. O. Tift, J. A. Phillips, H. H. Tift, 
W. O. Padrick, and S. G. Slack. The importance of this change was the 
fact that it brought the man who had the ability to make The Gazette a 
real and lasting influence, J. L. Herring. On July 10, Editor Herring 
followed the example of the previous year, and published a trade edition 
of the paper, to be distributed free to the visitors at the Midsummer Fair. 
This eighteen-page issue, attractively made up and amply illustrated, gave 
a thorough discussion of the towns and the possibilities of the land in this 
section as well as much miscellaneous material. 

Exce'rpts from the paper give pictures of the progress of Tifton: 

“Tifton is essentially a railroad town. Here cross the two great sys¬ 
tems, the Plant and the Southern. Then add connection with the Georgia 
and Alabama system, by way of Fitzgerald and Abbeville, and the route 
graded to Thomasville, and you will see that we are in the midst of a 
network of rails. Within eight hours of Jacksonville, twenty-four hours 
of Key West and thirty hours of New York we have mail, express, and 
railway facilities of the very best . . . Four to six train crews stop over in 
Tifton each night, and the supervisors, claim agents, attorneys, etc., of this 
division of the three roads reside there. 

“Time only prevents us also giving a picture of the city’s foster mother, 
the big mill, that for over twenty years has daily woke it from its morning 
slumbers by the long blast of the powerful whistle, echoing over the green 
hills and sunny slopes, through the cool and balsam-laden air, and at night 
has bid the city rest in peace. This mill has a capacity of from 50,000 to 
60,000 feet of merchantable lumber daily with steam dry kilns, and a 
large planing mill, with a daily output of 30,000 feet, with acres of sheds, 
open yards, and sidings. Also, near the mill, is the turpentine distillery, 
which has been a fixture in Tifton as long as the mammoth sawmill. These 
two industries give active employment to about 250 men, whose payroll 
is over $1,000 per week. To serve the mill requires two locomotives on the 
road and one in reserve. 


Our Business Men 

“Beginning at the southern limit of the town, we come first to sales 
stables, built the year past by Perryman Moore . . . 

“Facing Fifth street is the well equipped blacksmith and repair shop of 
Youman and O’Quinn, who do all kinds of repair work and have a wide 
experience in the business . . . 

“Just west of them is the iron finished, two-storv building, which Col, 
John Murrow is having built and which is nearly finished. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


45 


“Mr. C. A. Williams was the first man to erect a brick building in 
Tifton, his livery stables going up in 1890 . . . 

“On Railroad Street Mr. J ( . M. Garrett has located the Tifton City 
Bakery in a building recently erected by Col. Murrow. The bakery has a 
capacity of 400 pounds of cakes, seventy-five pounds of rolls, and twenty- 
five ponds of doughnuts daily. 

“For years Tifton felt the need of a wholesale grocery establishment, and 
early in 1895 Mr. W. H. Love established one in his two-story brick 
building facing the Georgia Southern Railway. He had associated with 
him Mr. E. A. Buck, of Douglas, and Dr. G. W. Julian, of Pearson . . . 
Later in the same year they established a general banking business, which 
also met with marked success. This year Dr. Julian retired, owing to pro¬ 
fessional duties, and the firm is now Love & Buck . . . Mr. M. W. Kirk¬ 
land is bookkeeper. 

“Mr. D. W. McLeod, the veteran hotel man from Sumner, is proprietor 
of Hotel Julian, which he is most successfully conducting . . . 

“Dr. J. C. Goodman is the pioneer druggist of Tifton, having built the 
Tifton Drug Store in 1889. In it he carries a first class line of drugs . . . 

“Next door is the post office, with T. M. Greene in charge. During 
the past year this office has been advanced from the fourth to the third 
class, and is the distributing point for three star routes—southwest to Obe 
in Colquitt County, by way of Debbie and Hadley; northwest to Hat, by 
way of Sutton, and northeast to Irwinville, and thence to Minnie, Abla, 
Ocilla, Ocala, etc. A daily mail to Fitzgerald, over the T. and N. E., is 
one of the possibilities of the near future. 

“Back of the post office is Mrs. Martin’s boarding house, which she has 
run successfully for a number of years . . . 

“The Georgia Southern depot is in charge of the best of agents, W. F. 
Rudesill, with R. B. Easley assistant and E. O’Quinn night operator. 

“On the eminence midway between the two depots is Hotel Sadie, now 
owned and run by Mr. W. W. Timmons with Mr. Robb as manager.— 
It has long borne a reputation as the leading hotel in this section, which 
the present management is fully sustaining, if we may judge by the crowds 
that throng its corridors. 

“In its basement is Tifton’s veteran barber, George Davis, who, despite 
the changes of season and vicissitudes of fortune, has shaved Tifton’s citi¬ 
zens for years past. 

“On the corner, in the Timmons building, is located J. J. Golden and 
Company. Tifton’s new druggists . . . Here they have $1,100 soda fount 
. . . Mr. P. J. Strozier ... is in charge of the prescription department . . . 

“Mr. E. B. O’Neal . . . came to Tifton from Lakeland, Florida, in the 
spring and purchased the Parlor Grocery from Mr. W. H. Love . . . 


46 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


“In his store is located G. W. Robinson, a first-class watchmaker and 
jeweler. 

“Upstairs is the office of Briggs Carson, who represents all lines of 
insurance. 

“Across Third Street is the Tifton Market and House, Wilson and 
Company, proprietors. 

“Next door is the general store of I. S. and R. L. Bowen, who carry 
a nice and complete line of goods . . . 

“Mr. A. S. Averett carries one of the prettiest little stocks of dry goods 
in town, and his ice cream parlor is a marvel of cleanly neatness. 

“In the same building with him is clever J. G. Dedge, the veteran sew¬ 
ing machine man . . . 

“Next door is the first mercantile business in town established by He¬ 
brews. The three Marcus brothers came to Tifton early in the year from 
Buford, S. C. Since then, one of the brothers has sold his interest to the 
others . . . 

“Over Bowen Bros., Mrs. Turner runs a boarding house ... 

“This history of the Padrick Bros, is interesting, they having started 
five years ago with one room in the Love Building, and their floor space 
now covering 1,700 square feet . . . East of their store they have built a 
bed spring factory. 

“Across in front of them are two German families, Robt. Woods and L. 
Meyers, who run a grocery store and restaurant. 

“In the Pitts Building, Mrs. W. F. Ford has established a boarding 
house ... In the lower story is a nice line of family groceries, with Mr. 
W. E. Greene in charge . . . 

“Next door is the Suwanee Restaurant, erected by the lamented James 
I. Clements, and the first hotel built in Tifton. Mr. Jno. B. Greene is in 
charge. 

“The City Restaurant and Grocery, Guest, Kell, and Company, proprie¬ 
tors, under the able management of Mr. H. Fordham, one of the firm, and 
his charming wife, has a complete line of groceries, and serves a meal 
that is first-class in every respect. 

“Everybody knows Mich Gaskins, yet few know why he has never 
sought wedded bliss. In his line of goods, he has a complete and varied one, 
to which he is constantly adding . . . 

“Upstairs M. Leo Isaac, of Brunswick, has set up a first-class merchant 
tailoring establishment . . . 

“Mr. Geo. Smith, druggist, is in charge of the Smith Drug Store . . . 
Master Murrow is employed as clerk. 

“Mr. D. A. Fulwood does watch repairing and keeps a full line of 
stationer)^, books, and office supplies, as well as fishing tackle and sporting 
goods. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


47 


“L. S. Shepherd & Co. have their large building stocked with an im¬ 
mense line of every kind of goods kept in a general store . . . 

“The Bank of Tifton, capitalized at $50,000, occupies a marble front 
building of its own, with Mr. C. W. E. Marsh as cashier. It is doing a 
large business . . . 

“At the B. & W., Mr. W. M. Touchton, well and favorably known 
along the line of road, is in charge, with the Western Union instruments 
under the fingers of clever F. M. Mangham. They make a good team. 

“Mr. E. P. Bowen is one of the best known men in Tifton, and his 
store, filled with a fine stock of general merchandise, well patronized. He 
also has an undertaker’s establishment, the only one in town. 

“Adjoining him is the express office, a paying one, in charge of Mr. W. 
T. Mangham . . . 

“The lower story of the Tift building is occupied by W. O. Tift, mer¬ 
chant, and S. G. Slack, hardware. Mr. Tift is the pioneer merchant of 
the place . . . His store is a mammoth one, filling a floor space 50 by 90, 
and a hall 60 by 80 feet to repletion. 

“One year ago S. G. Slack first put in a small line of hardware, which a 
fast increasing trade has caused to grow to colossal proportions. His floor 
space is 50 by 90, and every inch of this, except bare standing room, is 
jammed with goods, piled to the ceiling . . . 

“Overhead are the offices of Sebley and Company, real estate, recently 
changed to the Tifton Land and Immigration Company. These hustlers 
have the topography of the country on their finger-tips, and hold options 
on thousands of acres of Georgia fruit and farm lands. 

“Located in the office with them is James H. Price, general insurance, 
who represents a large number of companies. 

“In the same building is cigar factory No. 164, in charge of J. A. 
Haralson, who learned his trade in Key West, Florida. 

“Just east of the large mill is the Tifton Foundry and Machine Com¬ 
pany, R. S'. Kell manager, which employs a number of hands. It employs 
20 hands and has a full capacity of from 150 to 200 finished barrels daily. 

“Another Tifton institution is the dairy farm of Padrick Brothers, under 
the management of Mr. G. H. Padrick. They have about twenty-five head 
of fine blooded stock, and find ready sale for more milk and butter than 
they can produce. 

“Mr. R. A. Reese, an experienced cabinet maker, makes a specialty of 
fine office work. 

“Nor must we omit our hustling contractors, S. G. Slack, W. N. Pitt¬ 
man, ‘Pony’ Smith, and others, together with Mr. Geo. W. Rex, one of the 
finest sign painters and decorators that has ever come to the state. 

“Now go to Sutton & Young, near the Hotel Sadie, who keep some of 
the nattiest turnouts and fastest teams in town. 


48 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


“No mention of Tifton is complete without its corps of professional men. 
As they have located with us, they are, Drs. J. A. McCrea, J. C. Good¬ 
man, N. Peterson, and R. T. Kendrick. Of these men one grand truth can 
be stated. Each has made the study of his profession a life work and has 
risen to the top. Each is a man of experience and the strictest honor and 
integrity . . . We doff our hats to you M.D.’s! 

“Dr. John A. Peterson, a graduate in dentistry, has handsomely ap¬ 
pointed office on Love Avenue. 

“Col. John Murrow is one of South Georgia’s self-made young men, 
and by energy, vim and industry is rapidly climbing the ladder . . His 
office is in the Love building. 

“Hall & Hendricks are two Georgia boys just admitted to the bar who 
are already coming into a good practice and making a reputation. They 
are plucky and enterprising, and success will be theirs. Office in Paulk 
building. 

“CoL J. B. Murrow has established quarters in the Tift building. This 
young man, an apt pupil of his brother, is forging to the front ranks of 
the men of his profession. 

“City Clerk Murray, of Fulwood & Murray, is a young man of brains 
and ability. 

“Everybody that knows Tifton knows C. W. Fulwood, and his fight up 
the rugged hill.” 

During the period the Tifton Canning and Manufacturing Company 
and a branch plant of the Columbus Barrel Factory deserve emphasis. 
This canning plant, with E. B. Warman in charge, had a capacity of 
10,000 cans and employed one hundred twenty men. Mr. J. L. Rein- 
schmidt was superintendent of the branch plant of the Columbus Barrel 
Manufacturing Company. 

Another achievement in the nineties was the first Empire Garden Mid¬ 
summer Fair, July 10-11-12, 1894. About this exhibition the American 
Farmer, published in Chicago, said, “This fair, which was held early in 
July, was a magnificent success in every respect, and the display of the 
products of the soil of Southwestern Georgia was a visible and emphatic 
proof of all that has been claimed for this section. The display of fruits 
and vegetables was such a one as has never been excelled on a similar occa¬ 
sion in the South.” 

Nature contributed snow, a partial eclipse of the moon, and Aurora 
Borealis to the history of this period. In 1895 children celebrated Wash¬ 
ington’s birthday by making snow figures; snow fell from three to six 
inches on that day. The winter of 1894-95 was the coldest that anyone in 
Tifton remembered at that time. The partial eclipse of the moon occurred 
on the night of September 14, 1894. In August of the same year between 
twelve o’clock at night and two in the morning Tifton people had the 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


49 


opportunity of witnessing a colorful spectacle—the Aurora Borealis. Bril¬ 
liant red clouds with silver linings flashed in the northern sky at twelve, 
then suddenly faded, but reappeared later and lasted an hour. 

Health conditions in Tifton during the nineties were good. People 
could not begin a cemetery because the death rate was low. There were 
five deaths in five years: one, an infant; the other, a man killed on a rali- 
road. Despite this fact a visitor had a different idea. In reference to tur¬ 
pentine stills the Tifton Gazette of 1892 had this paragraph: 

“The stripped trees became white with the resinous sap and on a dark 
night one would take a turpentine farm for a huge cemetery with thou¬ 
sands of tombstones. A newcomer was heard to remark that he always 
thought South Georgia was unhealthy, but after seeing one of these seem¬ 
ingly large cemeteries he knew it. He packed up and left on the first train.” 

Although Tifton was more or less healthy and gay during the nineties, 
gayety did not extend to all parts of the rural district. Some families were 
living in one-room log houses with stick and clay chimneys and tending 
small farms. The following excerpt from a visitor’s report about rural life 
near Tifton was published in 1895 in The Tifton Gazette: “The wife 
goes to church in a springless cart, to which is hitched a single ox, which 
is guided by ropes tied to each other.” Tenants on farms worked for 
twelve dollars a month. 

Despite the epithet, “gay nineties,” Tifton had financial strain during 
1892; some of the old negroes attributed the trouble to the fact that the 
year began on Friday. 

Rural and town people, however, enjoyed many social events together 
regardless of financial difficulties. Candy pullings or “candy snatches” 
were very popular. Boys and girls from different groups mingled during 
wagon straw-rides to cane grindings. Many matches were effected to the 
rhythm of squeaks as the old mule went round and round his beaten path, 
and the mill crushed fresh sweet juice from the long stalks of red Georgia 
cane. Then couples would separate and exchange word affections, while 
beaus peeled cane for the town girls and rustic maids. 

The grand finale of the cane grinding was the candy pulling. The last 
boiler of syrup cooked until it reached the candy stage; then partners pulled 
the candy together until losing its dark color, it turned a golden hue; then 
the merry party broke and filled the wagons again. On the way home the 
young people sang popular songs and ballads. 

The ballads were often directed by John Sutton, the wire grass minstrel 
of the nineties. In 1893 he moved to a farm, about six miles from Tifton 
and led the singing plays at cane grindings and other entertainments. One 
night he went to a place where some of the guests were playing cards. A 
card objector, he took a group of young people into a room and led the 


50 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


singing. Lusty voices announced such a good time that the choristers broke 
up the card game and the card players joined the singing. 

Sutton, too, led church songs at Salem Church. Regardless of this con¬ 
tribution, however, the preacher and deacons tried to turn Sutton out of 
the church because of his belief in open communion; he “outargued” all 
of them and stayed in the church. 

Although Sutton passed the three-score and ten mark several years ago, 
he still remembers the ballads sung at different parties and vividly de¬ 
scribes the singing plays. Many nights during cane grinding season breezes 
carried such tunes as, 

“London Bridge is falling down 
Oh, law, my lady is gay! 

We’ll mend it up with sticks and clay 
Oh, law, my lady is gay. 

We’ll mend it up with sticks and clay.” 

* * # * * 

“Old Sister Phoebe how merry was she. 

The night she sat under the juniper tree. 

Put this hat on your head 
To keep your head warm. 

“Ten thousand sweet kisses 
Will do you no harm 
No harm no harm I say 
But a great deal of good I know. 

“Arise you up, Phoebe, and 
Go choose you a one. 

Choose you a fair one 
Or else choose none. 

Oh, what a wretched choice }'ou’ve made! 

In your grave you’d better been laid. 

Sing him a song and make him gay 
Give him a kiss and send him away.” 

“Come under, come under 
My honey, my love 
My heart’s above. 

My love’s gone aweeping 
A long way from me 
I’ve got you here 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


51 


I keep you here 
My honey, my love, 

My heart’s above 
My love’s gone aweeping 
A long way from me.” 

“Old Uncle Johnnie 
He had a little mill ; 

All the wheat and corn he got 
He rolled it down the hill. 
Hand in the hopper, 

Other in the bag; 

Every time you turn around 
The miller says grab.” 


“Corn in the crib, 

Poultry in the yard, 
Meat in the smokehouse, 
Tub full of lard. 

Milk in the dairy, 
Butter on the board, 
Coffee in the little sack 
Sugar in the gourd.” 


The conclusion of the gay period—the Spanish-American War—was 
inconsistent with the epithet, gay. After the insidious sinking of the Maine, 
the slogan, “Remember the Maine,” vibrated from coast to coast. The 
Spanish government accepted as a declaration of war the President’s ulti¬ 
matum to Spain, on April 16, 1898, giving that nation until Saturday at 
noon to say whether or not the Spanish troops would vacate Cuba. On 
April 21, 1898, the United States Fleet at Key West sailed for Cuba. 

Among the Tifton sons who volunteered to join the colors were Raleigh 
Eve, Bill Jones, and Ezekiel Williams. The patriotic women of Tifton 
sent them a handsome hamper of necessities and luxuries. On top of one 
of the packages were a linen duster and a palm-leaf fan. These women 
also organized a Ladies’ Relief Society for the purpose of providing re¬ 
freshments for the troops passing through Tifton. 

The gloom of the war period was brightened by the bravery of Tift 
County boys and by the honor conferred on one of Tifton’s daughters— 
Katherine Tift, daughter of W. O. Tift. On May 16, 1898 she received 
this telegram: 

“Miss Powell, sponsor for Georgia at the unveiling of the monument to 




52 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


signers of the Mecklenberg Declaration of Independence at Charlotte, N. 
C., May 20, selects you as one of the maids-of-honor. Leave Atlanta Thurs¬ 
day. Hope you accept. 

“W. Y. Atkinson.” 

Miss Tift accepted the honor and was a credit to Tifton and Georgia. 

On August 12, 1898 the Spanish-American War, which had lasted three 
months and twenty-two days, ended at 4:23 o’clock, when Secretary Day 
for the United States and M. Cambon, for Spain, in the presence of Presi¬ 
dent McKinley, signed a protocol, the basis of a definite treaty of peace. 

The United States paid Spain $20,000,000 for the Philippines. For sev¬ 
eral months after the war the United States had to fight the Filipinos, who 
declared that our country had no right to govern them and that they wo ill d 
fight as hard for their liberty as they had fought under Spanish misrule. 
Finally, however, the Filipinos had to accept “Old Glory,” which later 
they learned to love and honor. These people proved their loyalty to Amer¬ 
ica during World War II. 


CHAPTER VII 

THE EARLY NINETEEN HUNDREDS 


In 1900 pine groves near Tifton still had their aesthetic and financial 
values. Turpentine distilleries, lumber and planing mills still attracted 
visitors. The Atlanta Georgian, May 8, 1903, carried an interesting article: 

“Tifton is situated in the middle of the yellow pine lumber and naval 
stores belt of South Georgia. It is the home of the Georgia Saw Mill 
Association, and for each of the six working nights of the week four solid 
train loads of lumber are transferred in the railroad yards . . . This 
aggregates nearly 1,300 train loads of twenty cars each during the year, 
and gives you some idea of the volume of this business.” 

Despite these facts, the pine was not the absolute monarch that it had 
been in former years. The tendency toward stressing farming was strong 
during 1900. The attention to cotton was one of the indications of this 
interest in farming. In March, 1900, stockholders of the proposed Tifton 
Cotton Mills met and effected a temporary organization by electing the 
following officers: H. H. Tift, President; W. S. Witham, financial agent; 
L. G. Manard, L. S. Shepherd, and W. S. Witham comprised the board 
of directors of the new company. 

In April H. H. Tift, L. G. Manard, and W. S'. Witham after spend¬ 
ing a week in the inspection of the leading cotton mills in Georgia, made 
a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, to meet with the agents of the lead¬ 
ing cotton mill machinery manufacturing concerns of the country. The 
representatives of the Tifton mills found machinery in great demand; how¬ 
ever, they finally closed a contract with the agent of an English manufac¬ 
turer, who had just filled a contract for the machinery of a small firm 
that had “gone broke.” The machinery was left on his hands, and accord¬ 
ing to the contract, it was to be delivered in Tifton by July 1. 

Soon after the return of the Tifton representatives, a permanent organi¬ 
zation was effected. H. H. Tift was chosen president; S. M. Clyatt, vice- 
president; and L. G. Manard, secretary and treasurer. The board of direc¬ 
tors was composed of H. H. Tift, L. S. Shepherd, W. W. Banks, E. P. 
Bowen, S. M. Clyatt, L. G. Manard, and Briggs Carson. 

In 1900 the Tifton Ginning Company organized with the following 
officers: J. L. Ensign, president, and E. P. Bowen, secretary and treasurer. 
The board of directors was composed of H. H. Tift, J. Lee Ensign, H. 
Kent, E. P. Bowen, and L. G. Manard. 

By 1904 other cotton gins and several cotton warehouses had been 
established as indispensable to Tifton’s economic future. Furthermore the 
Tifton Cotton Mills were operating at a maximum rate of speed, reaching 


53 


54 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


a weekly amount of 8,000 pounds of Number 30’s a ply yarn. During 1903 
the cotton mills showed a net earning of $22,000. 

As farming interests increased, J. L. Herring envisioned the possibili¬ 
ties of this section. His words later proved a fulfilled prophecy: 

“Every year the professions are becoming worse crowded; every year 
entrance into them made more difficult; and success after entrance is gain¬ 
ed, made harder to obtain. In business lines, it is noteworthy that not one 
man in twenty-five goes through life without a failure. 

“Yet, on the millions of acres of farming lands in South Georgia is room 
for every son of her soil. And under the tillage of an educated, comprehen¬ 
sive husband-man, the return is a thousand fold, and success is assured . . . 

“Educate your sons, men of South Georgia, but educate them for the 
farms; for the calling to which his maker assigned man, and you prepare 
them for a life of long years, peace, and happiness, and lay up for your¬ 
selves the plaudits of your grateful countrymen!” 

During the pre-county period there were a number of economic de¬ 
velopments. Adequate long distance telephone service was effected in the 
fall of 1902 when the line of the Southern Bell Telephone Company ar¬ 
rived in Tifton. About this time the Tifton Ice and Power Company was 
organized. The franchise of the new firm—good for five years and carry¬ 
ing an extra five-year option if the arrangement proved satisfactory— 
was first bought by B. M. Griffin, who later sold it to L. P. Thurman. 

The new power company was organized with the following officers: S. 
M. Roberts, manager, and L. P. Thurman, secretary and treasurer. The 
stockholders were: S. M. Roberts, L. P. Thurman, J. G. L. Phillips, H. 
H. Tift, W. T. Hargrett, and W. W. Banks. A light plant was soon in¬ 
stalled and in March, 1903, “The fair hands of Mrs. W. W. Banks and 
Mrs. S. M. Roberts pushed the lever and instantly, as by a magician’s 
wand, the city sprang from darkness into a light as of day!” (Tifton 
Gazette). 

During this period W. S. Cobb and J. M. Price, of Canton, Georgia, 
and S. N. Pool and Mr. R. E. Dinsmore, of Tifton, planned the erection 
of a ten-thousand-dollar guano plant in Tifton. Briggs Carson and C. W. 
Fulwood gave the town a modern foundry, when they bought and con¬ 
solidated the plants formerly owned by P. J. Clark Foundry and Machine 
Company and the Gifford Iron Works Company. Another step in prog¬ 
ress was taken by the management of the Tifton Cotton Mills when a 
twenty-thousand-dollar knitting mill was built. The finished plant had a 
capacity of from two to three hundred dozen pairs of hose a day of ten 
hours. 

At this time there was a tremendous increase in banking business in Tift 
County. In December, 1903, a meeting was held at the office of Colonel 
John Murrow, and the Citizen’s Bank of Tifton was organized with the 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


55 


following officers: E. A. Buck, president; C. A. Alford, vice-president; and 
J. M. Paulk, cashier. The directors were I. H. Myers, W. F. Rudistill, 
C. E. Fryer. J. B. Murrow, J. M. Paulk, E. A. Buck, C. A. Alford, and 
G. F. Alford The bank was organized with twenty-five thousand dollars 
subscribed and paid capital. 

In the late summer of 1903 plans were completed for the organization 
of the First National Bank, number 6542 on the official roster at Wash¬ 
ington. By September, capital stock worth twent\'-five thousand dollars had 
been sold. The first officers of the new bank were J. J. L. Phillips, presi¬ 
dent; I. W. Myers, vice-president; O. D. Gorman, cashier. The directors 
were H. H. Tift, Briggs Carson, Asa G. Candler, J. J. L. Phillips, W. 
E. Baker, I. W. Myers, A. B. Hollingsworth, O. D. Gorman, and Perry¬ 
man Moore. 

On October 5, 1905, Tifton’s fourth bank was organized, when the 
stockholders of the Merchants’ and Farmers’ Bank met and elected the 
following board of directors: J. L. Brooks, L. O. Benton, W. H. Hend¬ 
ricks, Perryman Moore, E. E. Slack, J. N. Horne, M. L. McMillan, I. W. 
Bowen, and J. L. Gay. The following officers were elected: L. O. Benton, 
of Monticello, president; W. H. Hendricks, first vice-president; Perryman 
Moore, second vice-president; and J. L. Brooks, cashier. The new bank 
was capitalized at thirty thousand dollars. 

Devastating fires swept over many buildings during 1904 and 1905. In 
January of 1904, the Tifton Supply Company in the H. H. Tift building 
caught fire. Losses were estimated at twenty thousand dollars, with about 
fifteen thousand dollars insurance. 

Three months later F. J. Clark and Company’s Foundry and Machine 
Shops were damaged to the extent of three thousand dollars. 

In February, 1905, the building occupied by Carson Brothers was de¬ 
stroyed by fire. The loss was nine thousand dollars above insurance. Then 
on February 24, the Tifton Gazette issued a fire extra. Bold headlines an¬ 
nounced: “Hotel Sadie Is No More!” Excerpts from the story are: 

“What was yesterday the home of hundreds, a hive of life and indus¬ 
try, is now a smoking ruin, and the stranger in Tifton is without a home. 

“Four lines of hose were quickly laid to the main from the fire pump 
at Tift’s mill. 

“For a while the Williams, Clyatt, Smith, and Boatright buildings, the 
Bank of Tifton, and Sumner’s stables were in imminent danger and but 
for the fact that it was a calm, still night, and that the fighters fought 
valiantly, probably the balance of the business part of Tifton would have 
fallen victim to the ravenous appetite of the God of flames.” 

In March fire caused about three thousand dollars damage above in¬ 
surance coverage in the building owned by Mr. John Murrow. 

Probably the most disastrous fire in the history of Tifton was on No- 


56 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


vember 4, 1904 when a blaze began in the four-story Slack building, sweep¬ 
ing through it, the two-story Regent Hotel, covering more than a full 
lot, the two-story Bowen building with the opera house on the second 
floor, the E. B. O’Neal building, the E. H. Tift building, and all the 
stores and offices in these buillings. The residences of Mrs. Julia Pope, 
H. W. Brown, C. B. Holmes, and Mayor W. W. Timmons were also 
destroyed by fire. Only heroic efforts of Tifton citizens saved the Na¬ 
tional Bank and the post office. The loss was estimated at between $115,000 
and $125,000 with $60,000 insurance. 

On Sunday evening November 7, the Tifton Knitting Mills, with all 
machinery and other equipment, were burned. The mill and machinery, 
owned by H. H. Tift and valued at twelve thousand dollars, were a total 
loss. 

Disconsolately Tifton citizens viewed a bleak town, but looking into 
lifeless ashes, and envisioning new structures, soon effected plans for re¬ 
construction. 

In connection with these fires Mr. J. L. Williams, editor of the Tifton 
Free Press, tells a mysterious story. After a traveling group of men and 
women had preached for several days on the streets of Tifton, causing some 
disturbance, the city council passed a resolution to request these evangelists 
to leave town. Infuriated, the band gathered on the northwest corner of 
Love Avenue and Second Street; weird sounds issued from the spot. Tif¬ 
ton citizens could not understand all of the speeches, but could hear the 
pronouncing of a curse and the stamping of feet on the spot. The incanta¬ 
tion, “In forty-eight hours something terrible will happen in Tifton!” 
floated from the corner distinctly enough for by-standers to hear; then 
the group shook Tifton dust off their feet and stalked away. 

Exactly forty-eight hours afterward the flame began in the basement of 
the Slack building, increasing to a conflagration, which swept in all direc¬ 
tions from the corner where the incantation sounded. Fire raged, but 
stopped before reaching Mr. W. T. Hargrett’s home. This fire destroyed 
the buildings on the property of all the councilmen who owrned any except 
those of W. T. Hargrett, who, strange to say, opposed the resolution to 
make the visiting preachers leave, and H. H. Tift. The latter, however, 
soon afterwards lost his knitting mills by fire. 

Excerpts from the Tifton Gazette: 

“March 15, 1901—William Tygart, representing the Standard Oil 
Company, arrived in Tifton last week and is superintending the erection 
of an oil reservoir to care for the growing business here. 

“March 22—Colonel R. Eve, Mrs. Neville, and Mrs. Maud Greer, 
undaunted by the potential wrath of Tifton’s first baby show announced 
winners: to the boy and girl under one year, Malcolm Peterson and Ruth 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


57 


Harmon; one to three years, Ralston Padrick and Leona Wilcox; three 
to five years, Ernest Baker and Mary Tift. 

May 3 Tifton Lodge Number 47, Free and Accepted Masons, with 
the duly constituted ceremonies of the order, laid the cornerstone of Tif¬ 
ton s new $8,000 Methodist Church Wednesday afternon at 3 130. 

June 21 Measurement of the railroad tracks within the corporate 
limits has elicited the information that Tifton contains over sixteen miles 
of railway track. 

Nov. 1—It is plain to every citizen, and even to the most casual ob¬ 
server, that the law against selling intoxicants is being violated every day 
in the city and in the two negro suburbs immediately adjoining. And al¬ 
though they have had several months, both city and county officers appear 
powerless to either stop the sale or bring the lawbreakers to justice. 

Nov. 15—At the state fair, James Clyatt won the first prize in the 
grammar class of oratory; Miss Laura Smith won first prize in the elocu¬ 
tion contest. 

“Jan. 17, 1902—A visitor to Tifton had the following to say of Super¬ 
intendent Harmon: ‘I am sure the people of Tifton realize and appreciate 
their good fortune in having such a fine preceptor and organizer as Pro¬ 
fessor Harman since he built up the school from the crude state in which 
he found it, with only 65 pupils to the present well-ordered, thoroughly- 
graded school of more than 200 scholars.’ 

“Jan. 31—An idea of the work that is being done in Tifton now can 
be gained from the fact that 25 residences have been built and contracted 
for since the first of January. 

“Of these, eight for the knitting mill have been finished; eight for Slack 
and Phillips are soon to be built; two for H. Kent, two for B. W. High¬ 
tower, and five on Tifton Heights will be completed in the near future. 

“Feb. 1—The Atlanta papers quote John Temple Graves as saying: 
‘Tifton is a type of life and progress in all the Southern section of the 
state . . . Time was, and I recall it, when to spend a summer amid the 
supposed malaria of South Georgia was deemed equivalent to a written 
invitation to fever and death. Now the artesian wells flowing crystal and 
freely through all these southwestern towns have made the wiregrass as 
healthful as the Piedmont hills and demonstrated to a certainty that it 
is malaqua, and not malaria that has been the curse of southern climes.’ 

“Feb. 14—Bishop Nelson, of the Georgia Episcopal Church, says: St. 
Anne’s Church, Tifton, is the outcome of a missionary effort begun under 
the direction of the Bishop by the Reverend Frank B. Ticknor in 1894. 

“April 18—Inclement weather is no handicap to Sam Jones; during 
less than a week, his revival has brought over a hundred new members to 
the local churches. 


58 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


“June 27—Prof. Jason Scarboro, for three years head of the Moultrie 
public schools, has been elected principal of the Tifton school system. 

“September 2—There are thirty-five business houses in Tifton less than 
two years old. 

“October 24—Harry Goodman enjoys the distinction of having brought 
to Tifton the first “Auto-Bi” or motor-bicycle. The vehicle when steamed 
up to the right temperature is calculated to make the speed of one mile in 
one minute and twelve seconds. 

“Nov. 7—The Women’s Literary Club was organized Wednesday after¬ 
noon with the following officers: Mrs. C. D. Fish, president; Mrs. F. S. 
Harrell, secretary; and Mrs. W. E. Myers, treasurer. 

“Jan. 2, 1903—A Tifton German Club was organized last Friday 
night. Standing chaperons are: Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Tift, Mr. and Mrs. 
Boatright, Mr. and Mrs. Bond, Mr. and Mrs. Greer, Mr. and Mrs. T. 
S. Williams, Mr. and Mrs. H. S. Murry, and Mr. and Mrs. Delph. 

“Jan. 23—In the first race for judge and solicitor of the city court F. 
G. Boatright was elected judge and C. C. Hall, solicitor. O. L. Chest- 
nutt, justice of peace for two years, resigned his office to accept the clerk¬ 
ship. T. B. Henderson, a former sheriff of Ware County, was appointed 
sheriff. 

“Feb. 13—Last week, seventeen Tifton carpenters met for the purpose 
of organizing a union. The following officers were elected: R. W. Ter¬ 
rill, president; J,. L. Hamilton, secretary; M. Chance, treasurer; B. W. 
Harrell, financial secretary; H. Harris, conductor; and Mr. Martin, war¬ 
den. 

“Feb. 20—Following the lead of the carpenters in union consciousness, 
yesterday the skilled sawmill workers of Tifton met and organized a union, 
with the following officers: R. E. Hall, president; John Bruce, vice-presi¬ 
dent; W. W. Cowan, secretary; C. L. Gaulding, sergeant-at-arms. The 
enrollment of this union has reached sixty names, embracing the best work¬ 
ers in this section. The local organization is under the protection of the 
National Federation of Labor. 

“July 3—The Tifton and Northeastern railroad was sold to the Title 
Guarantee and Trust Company in Atlanta Saturday last. The money was 
paid and the stock transferred, President H. H. Tift making the transfer 
to attorneys representing the trust company. The cash price was $243,750. 
The stock was transferred in blank. 

“July 17—Tax returns for the Tifton district of Berrien County show 
a big increase over last year, having passed the million dollar mark. In 
exact figures, they are $1,033,144. Last year, they were $965,090, showing 
an increase over 1901 of $243,301. 

Twenty years ago, the total taxable property of Berrien County reached 
the sum of $1,000,000. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


59 


Wednesday night, Juniper Camp No. 105, W. O. W. was reorganized 
in Tifton, and the following officers were elected: J. L. Williams, Coun¬ 
cil Com.; W. T. Mangham, Advisory Lieut.; R. H. Hutchinson, Jr., 
Banker; C. R. O’Quinn, Clerk, and N. Peterson, Camp Physician. 

“July 3 1 —The Tifton Terminal Company has been organized to con¬ 
trol the railroad yards formerly belonging to the Tifton and Northeastern 
Railroad. Mr. H. H. Tift is president and Mr. J. L. Jay, Junior-superin¬ 
tendent. 

“Dec. 11—The Tifton Rifles, Company F, Fourth Georgia, received 
their uniforms and other equipment Monday. There are two uniforms for 
each man, fatigue and dress. The guns are the Krag Jergensen rifle, with 
several thousand rounds of ammunition, side arms and accoutrements. R. 
Eve is captain of the new unit. 

“Manager Keith Carson, of the opera house, has arranged with the Van 
Epp Vaudeville Company to give their high-classed entertainment Satur¬ 
day afternoon and evening. The very latest and best of moving pictures 
will be presented—among others, the celebrated Harvard-Yale football 
game, at Cambridge. ‘Still His Trousers Grew’ is another new fascinating 
picture; ‘Happy Hooligan,’ another. 

“Jan. 22, 1904—Since the merger of the Tifton, Thomasville and Gulf, 
rumor has been rife that the Atlantic and Birmingham would also absorb 
the Brunswick and Birmingham. This rumor has been confirmed. 

“April 1—The pupils of Tifton Public School took the clapper out of 
the bell, the handle off the pump, scattered the chalk and books and nailed 
up the door this morning. A sign over the door says: ‘Nothing doing at 
school, and the boys and girls are off to the woods.’ 

“April 15—The Tuesday Afternoon Whist Club was entertained this 
week by Mrs. Erminie Scott at the home of her sister, Mrs. F. S. Harrell, 
on Sixth Street. 

“April 22—John Murrow was elected judge of the city court with a 
majority of 63 votes over Raleigh Eve; the voters named J. J. Murray 
solicitor. 

“May 23—Carrie Fulwood, Charles H. Garrett, and Effie Kent took 
part in the program for the first commencement exercises of Tifton Public 
School last week. 

“July 1—Effective July 1, Tifton post office will be advanced to the 
second class, due to the fact that the receipts of the office have averaged over 
$8,000 per year for fifteen months past. 

“July 15—For the past year, the Tifton district showed a gain of 
$133,113 in tax returns, making a total of $1,166,257 worth of taxable 
property. The Tifton district has shown a gain in tax returns since 1890. 

“July 22—J. L. Johns, of Tifton, caused a near riot early in the week 
when he carried an automobile to Cordele. He was carrying passengers to 


60 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


the ball diamond, working under a liveryman’s license. He was fined a 
dollar for creating disturbance, despite the fact that Cordele did not have 
an ordinance to cover automobiles. 

“Dec. 30—Washington Camp Number 8, Patriotic Order Sons of 
America will be instituted in Tifton Jan. 16. 

“Jan. 27, 1905—J. L. Johns, the liveryman, who bought Tifton’s first 
automobile last summer, received three handsome, new Rambler machines 
last w T eek. One of them, an eighteen horse power roadster, speeded to 
forty miles an hour, was purchased by J. L. Brooks. 

“Feb. 10—A meeting was held Saturday afternoon at the home of Mr. 
and Mrs. E. H. Tift to organize a literary and social club. Mrs. W. O. 
Tift was elected president; Mrs. W. S. Walker, vice-president; and Mrs. 
N. Peterson, secretary and treasurer. 

“March 3—The Henderson Oil Co. was organized in Tifton this 
week. The charter members and officers are: W. J. Henderson, president; 
Dr. O. Daniel, vice-president; J. E. Peeples, secretary; and W. W. Banks, 
treasurer. 

At the meeting it was decided to put fifty shares of stock on the mar¬ 
ket, at $100 per share. After a canvass of one day by the secretary, thirty- 
five shares of the stock were sold. The company owns 120 acres of land 
in Washington County, Florida. 

“March 31—Sixty-five lots were sold by the New England Develop¬ 
ment and Improvement Company, at prices ranging from $136 to $325. 
The lots were on Park and Ridge Avenues between tenth and Twelfth 
Streets. 

“April 21 (Chipley, Florida, April 20—Special to the Gazette) ; 

“Struck a fine grade of petroleum oil today at Orange Hill, Washing¬ 
ton County. Great excitement here. W. J. Henderson. 

“Mr. Perryman Moore began work yesterday on a thirty-room hotel 
building on Main Street, one lot south of Fifth. 

“November 3—The bond election held Monday in the city courtroom 
to authorize the issuance of $50,000 of thirty-year bonds to purchase a site, 
erect a school building, and put in a system of waterworks and sewerage 
system, and the remainder for water works. 

“Dec. 1—At the Georgia Baptist Convention held in Macon, President 
Jackson, of Monroe College, read a note from Mrs. H. H. Tift, stating 
that her husband would donate $37,000 to complete the Bessie Tift me¬ 
morial hair at the Forsyth Institution. This is one of the largest gifts in 
the history of Baptist benevolence. 


CHAPTER VIII 
TIFT COUNTY 


A tremendous crowd had gathered in Tifton for a celebration. It was 
time for rejoicing—the time for speeches, barbecues, and bonfires! Exactly 
at 5:20 Wednesday afternoon August 16, 1905, Tift County was born! 
The Tift County bill passed the senate by a unanimous vote—it had 
passed the house the previous Friday. On Thursday morning S’. M. Clyatt 
and W. W. Banks, committeemen, carried the county bill—the birth 
certificate—to Governor Joseph N. Terrell, “who affixed his signature 
with a handsome gold pen, made for the purpose by Jeweler Cochran, of 
Tifton, and bearing Tift County on a pearl name piece.” (Tifton Gazette.) 

Many citizens had worked strenuously for this moment, but no one 
had excelled J. L. Herring, editor of the Tifton Gazette, in his efforts. 
According to the Ocilla Star, Mr. Herring cut the pigeon wing in four 
languages, when the news about the county came. In 1895 John L. Her¬ 
ring began agitating the creation of new counties in South Georgia. He 
strongly contended for a new county with Tifton as its seat. The only 
road from Tifton to Nashville, twenty-five miles away, was a three-path 
trail, made by horses and buggies. The long trips to the county seat were 
burdensome; it took hours for one to travel this distance. 

Many people agreed with the editor, but when his efforts assumed the 
form of a crusader, few were willing to march with him. The few people 
with foresight gave the movement its initial impetus. In a few years the 
cause had gathered more followers. The strongest newspapers and some 
of the influential citizens of South Georgia had joined forces in the fight 
for new counties. People of Tifton had had opportunities to observe the 
benefits of a county seat. The need for new counties had increased as the 
rural sections became more thickly populated. 

On October 7, 1894, complete returns of a state-wide vote showed that 
amendments for new counties were carried by a large majority. The feel¬ 
ing between Nashville and Tifton became very intense. C. W. Fulwood, 
of Tifton, and John Knight, of Nashville, ran for the legislature on the 
new county issue, and Knight was the successful candidate. Tifton’s 
chances seemed slight. 

Tifton’s leading citizens, however, began to lay their plans with deter¬ 
mination to win. A committee on boundaries began work early in 1905. 
The proposed county was to embrace ninety square miles from Berrien, 
ninety-five from Irwin, and sixty-eight, from Worth. 

In a meeting in February Mr. C. W. Fulwood suggested the name Han- 
sell for the new county, in honor of Judge A. H. Hansell of the Southern 


61 


62 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Circuit; Mr. Monk suggested Tift for H. H. Tift. This suggestion was 
adopted without a vote, and the first motion, withdrawn by C. W. Ful- 
wood. Later at a mass meeting in March the question was discussed, and 
the motion to name the county Tift was carried. S. M. Clyatt, Briggs 
Carson, and T. S. Williams were appointed to notify Mr. Tift of the 
action and escort him to the hall. When he appeared in the door, loud 
applause greeted him. S. M. Clyatt in an enthusiastic speech presented Mr. 
Tift. 

The editor of the Tifton Gazette commented on the choice of name: 

“While naming the new county to be created here Tift aids in per¬ 
petuating in the memory of the people of the state the distinguished services 
of the late Mr. Nelson Tift, yet the people of this section, in choosing a 
name for their county had in mind their own fellow citizen, the man who 
founded Tifton, and but for whom there would have been no Tifton and 
consequently no Tift County. As a factor in the development of South Geor¬ 
gia, he yields place to no man, and the reason for naming the county here 
for him are ample and sufficient. Tift County was named for H. H. Tift, 
of Tifton, although we are glad that the name aids in perpetuating the 
memory of Nelson Tift.” 

The reason for naming the county for the great benefactor, H. H. Tift, 
resembled a boy’s argument that Columbus deserved more credit for dis¬ 
covering America than Washington for defending it. The podgy boy on 
Friday afternoon during the nineties arose, went to the stage of the old 
school house and succinctly argued: “Columbus deserves more credit for 
discovering America than Washington for defending it. If Columbus 
hadn’t discovered America, where would we have been?” If Tift had not 
founded Tifton, where would the new county have been? 

When August of 1905, a legislative committee decided to name no 
county for a living man, the honorary beneficiary was changed to the 
honorable Nelson Tift, who was responsible for much of South Georgia’s 
early progress. 

Since there had been trouble between Tifton and Nashville, to effect a 
conciliation, Mr. Fulwood in a letter requested the Honorable John Knight, 
Berrien County representative, to help frame the county bill. Mr. Knight 
granted the request and promised not to oppose the bill. 

The Gazette, meantime, was busy. This paper carefully reported every 
development in the plan. Opinions of prominent citizens here and else¬ 
where were quoted. To stimulate interest in the movement, Editor Herring 
wrote a series of front-page attractive editorials, in which he argued every 
phase of the county question. Some of the subjects were: 

“It Originated Here,” “The Necessity for It,” “In Keeping With Prog¬ 
ress,” “Territory to Spare,” “Crowded Superior Courts,” “The Question 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


63 


of Expense,” “Tifton’s Resources,” “Tifton’s Accessibility,” “Business 
Growth,” and “Unanimously Endorsed.” 

To carry on the work in Atlanta, the following committee was appoint¬ 
ed : S. M. Clyatt, chairman; W. W. Banks, treasurer; Charlie Parker, 
C. W. Fulwood, and H. H. Tift. Chairman Clyatt scarcely let the capitol 
out of his sight for sixty days. According to his statement, the other mem¬ 
bers of the committee usually spent their week-ends in Atlanta, planning 
for the next week’s activities. Charlie Parker, whom Mr. Clyatt consider¬ 
ed the most valuable man on the committee, was in Atlanta the most of 
the session. J. H. Hall, of Macon, chairman of the house committee on 
new counties, and Clayton Robinson, a capable lobbyist of Milledgeville, 
deserve special appreciation. 

A news story, dated July 15, in the Atlanta Constitution gave a brief 
account of a problem: 

“The proposed new county of Tift, with Tifton as the county seat, had 
the first innings before the senate and house committees on new counties 
yesterday. 

“The committee room was crowded with members of new county dele¬ 
gations who gathered to hear the proceedings. Senator Crawford Wheatley, 
of the thirteenth, chairman of the senate committee, and Mr. Hall, of 
Bibb, chairman of the house committee, presided. 

“Tift County occupies the unique position of not only having no opposi¬ 
tion to its establishment, but of having members of other people on all 
sides of it who are anxious to get into the new county, but who have not 
been included in the territory mapped out. They were represented before 
the committee and earnestly requested that their territory be included in 
Tift County. This very fact, however, caused considerable opposition to 
develop as the hearing progressed. Mr. C. W. Fulwood presented maps 
showing in detail the lines of the old counties as well as those of the pro¬ 
posed new county. 

“J. L. Herring presented the claims of Tift County. The new county of 
Tift, Mr. Herring said, proposed to take ninety square miles from Ber¬ 
rien, ninety-five square miles from Irwin, and sixty-eight square miles 
from Worth. 

“R. C. Ellis, of Tifton, made an appeal in behalf of the citizens of 
Enigma and of a strip of territory comprising about forty square miles on 
the southeastern border of the new county, who wanted to be incorporated 
in Tift County. 

“Mr. Knight, representative from Berrien County, strongly opposed 
the petition declaring that the people of Berrien County were unwilling 
to give up any more of her territory than had originally agreed upon. 

“M. L. McMillan, of Berrien County, said he lived ten miles from 
Tifton and seventeen miles from Nashville. He wanted to be incorporated 


64 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


in the new county of Tift so that he could be nearer the courthouse. He 
owned about 3,500 acres of land. 

“W. E. Williams, of Ty Ty, said the people of his town all wanted to 
go into the new county instead of being divided by the new county line, as 
is now proposed. 

“W. B. Parks, of Ty Ty, appeared and requested that two additional 
Worth County lots be taken into the new county so that his farm would 
not be divided. 

“Mr. Alford, of Worth, said requests had been made to take in more 
Worth County lots than had been agreed on, and all his people would like 
to have a hearing before any action was taken.” 

Before the bill was finally passed, the question of whether the first 
county commissioners should be appointed or elected was discussed. H. H. 
Tift. C. W. Fulwood, and W. W. Banks were the leaders of the faction 
favoring appointment of the commissioners. In a speech before the senate’s 
committee, Mr. Fulwood stated that the primary need of the new county 
was a sound business administration and that it would be the height of 
folly to trust the selection of such important officials to popular vote. S. 
M. Clyatt, E. A. Buck, and Perryman Moore argued for adherence to 
democratic principles. When the matter stood at a deadlock and neither 
faction seemed willing to break it, the investigating committee decided in 
favor of the appointment of the first county commissioners. The recom¬ 
mendation of W. S. West, state senator from the district in which Tift 
County was to be included, settled the argument. 

In the latter part of August, the voters of Tift County held a mass 
meeting for the purpose of organizing a democratic club. J. L. Herring was 
elected permanent chairman; J. H. Price, secretary. The members of the 
first democratic executive committee were: Omega District, Joab Taylor; 
Chula District, B. B. Sumner; Ty Ty District, William Gibbs; Harding 
District, J. L. Gay; Tifton District, C. W. Fulwood, chairman, and C. C. 
Hall. The voters signed a resolution of thanks to the county committee, to 
J. H. Hall, and to J. L. Herring for efforts in securing the new county. 

The following were nominations of Tift County’s first primary: 

Ordinary—W. S. Walker 
Clerk—J. E. Peoples 
Sheriff—J. B. Baker 
Collector-—J. Henry Hutchinson 
Tax Receiver—J. A. Marchant 
Treasurer—S. F. Overstreet 
Surveyor—J. T. Webb 
Coroner—J. E. Johns 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


65 


First election in Tift County was held October 4, 1905; the first term 
of Superior Court November 6, 1905 in building on the southwest corner 
of Love and Second Streets. Robert C. Mitchell was first judge. 

The first Grand Jury was: 

Dempsey W. Willis, J. N. Brown, Henry Sutton, J. T. Mathis, J. R. 
Mason, W. B. Parks, J. R. Sutton, J. J. Baker, Geo. Smith, T. E. Fletcher. 
I. W. Bowen, T. A. Shipp, T. E. Phillips, I. S. Bowen, L. J. Gray, J. J. 
Hall, G. W. Crum, William Gibbs, G. W. Guest, John A. Branch, C. 
W. Haistings, J. M. Branch, G. T. Phelps, Briggs Carson, J. R. Moore. 

There were seven militia districts: Tifton, Chula, Brighton, Ty Ty, 
Dosia, Eldorado, Brookfield. 

The problem of defraying the cost of the first court was solved in an 
unusually interesting way. Very secretively some men dropped hints to 
Judge Mitchell about prominent citizens’ gambling. When the sheriff 
brought them before Judge Mitchell, he fined them enough to pay the 
cost of the court. 


CHAPTER IX 
AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL 


“From Turrets peak to Donjon keep 
The Salvos of glad tidings sweep 
Blare the trumpet and roll the drums 

The Hallelujah Day has come!” Tiftonites proclaimed in November 
1906. 

“Tifton’s father did it with his little hatchet!” exclaimed J. L. Her¬ 
ring upon receiving the news that the agricultural School for the Second 
Congressional District would come to Tifton. A zealous committee had 
been working: J. L. Pickard. H. H. Tift, R. Eve, C. L. Parker, J. H. 
Scales, J. J. L. Phillips, P. D. Phillips, W. W. Banks, Perryman Moore, 
T. J. Parker, J. W. Hollis, J. L. Brooks, W. T. Hargrett, E. P. Bowen, 
J. N. Horne, P. W. Robertson, W. W. Timmons, S. S. Monk, I. W. 
Myers, C. C. Hall, J. W. Baker, C. A. Williams, C. C. Guest, W. B. 
Parks, J. T. Mathis, E. L. Vickers, Briggs Carson, W. S> Walker, R. C. 
Ellis, and O. L. Chestnutt. 

In October a mass meeting of Tifton citizens decided to make a bid 
for an agricultural college. H. H. Tift volunteered to give the necessary 
two hundred acres of land and offered to increase any sum the county 
might raise as donation by one-sixth. Late in November, the Tifton com¬ 
mittee went to Albany to enter the contest for one of the proposed state 
institutions. J. L. Herring gave an interesting account of the event. 

“The committee went with $32,000 raised by individual subscriptions 
from the people of Tift County, to secure the location of Agricultural 
School of the Second Congressional District, to be decided upon by the 
Board of Trustees. 

“Organization of the Board of Trustees was perfected by electing Judge 
Frank Park, of Worth, chairman, and A. J. Lippitt, of Dougherty, secre¬ 
tary . . . 

Soon after the opening of the afternoon session, at 3 o’clock, the bids 
were submitted, the counties being called in alphabetical order. 

“Dougherty came first, with an offer of $20,000, 200 acres of land, an 
artesian well and free lights and water for ten years. 

“Camilla offered to raise $51,000 cash, donate 300 acres of land, build¬ 
ings, and timber estimated at $4,000, and free lights and water for five 
years. When called to close figures on the cash proposition, it was ad¬ 
mitted that only $10,000 was at hand. 

“Pelham offered the choice of several fine tracts of land, free lights and 
water and a certified check for $19,000. 

“Tift County’s offer was 315 acres of land lying along the G. S. & F. 


66 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


67 


right-of-way*, one mile north of town, and $30,000 in cash. 

“Ashburn’s offer was 250 acres of land, lights and water for five years 
and $45,000 in cash. 

“Hon. Jos. S. Davis, a most eloquent gentleman, and fluent speaker, 
presented Dougherty’s claims, fifteen minutes having been allowed each 
applicant after the bids were opened by the secretary. Judge W. N. Spence 
and Col. I. A. Bush spoke for Camilla, Hons. H. H. Merry and D. C. 
Barrow for Pelham, and Col. J. D. Hutchason for Ashburn. 

“When he arose to fill five minutes of the time allotted Tift County, Mr. 
Tift presented an amended bid of $55,000 in cash, free lights, water and 
telephone service for ten years, a sewerage system, and 315 acres of land 
worth $50 per acre. Later, learning that the timber on the land was de¬ 
sired for forestry study, he contributed this also, it being valued at $4,500. 
The raise of $25,000 at a jump caused the audience to catch its breath. 

* * * * * 

“After the committee went into executive session, Pelham’s bid was 
raised to $32,500 cash; Camilla’s to $58,000. and Ashburn’s to $60,500. 
Mr. Tift added $5,000 to Tifton’s offer, making $60,000 in cash. Of this 
he gave $36,400 cash, the land, $4,500 in timber, and a portion of the 
lights and water offer. It was estimated in the committee room that Tif¬ 
ton’s total offer netted $95,700. Mr. J. J. L. Phillips gave the telephone 
service. 

“After the financial question was settled, it was a tug of war between 
personal influence of Mr. Tift and J. L. Hand, of Pelham. 

“Inside the committee room J. L. Pickard, nobly assisted by J. J. Knight, 
and after Albany dropped out of the contest, by A. J. Lippitt and other 
strong friends, was having the fight of his life. 

“It was decided, there being eighteen votes in the committee, that ten 
should decide the winner. On the first ballot, Tifton led with seven, Pel¬ 
ham having six. Camilla started with three, and held them through the 
contest. Ashburn, although the highest bidder, never stood any show, re¬ 
ceiving only three votes. 

“Tifton led in every ballot, and in the fifth had nine, while Pelham 
reached seven, its high-water mark. Finally, in the eighth ballot, Tifton 
received eleven, one more than necessary to win.” 

“Here the good news had preceded us, and we were met by the blasts 
of whistles, boom of fireworks, and an enthusiastic delegation seated Mr. 
Tift in a wagon and pulled him through town to the courthouse corner, 
where he and Mr. Pickard made few minutes’ talks, and the crowd was told 
how the fight was won. 

In 1907 the first faculty for this school was composed of J. D. Smith, of 
Griffin, principal; L. O. Freeman, of Sylvester, assistant principal; K. C. 


68 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Moore, of Thomasville, agriculturist; Miss Russell, of Milledgeville, home 
economist; and Mrs. Wilson, of Pike County, matron. 

Besides the winning of the school in 1906, there was another important 
event: the changing of the name Monroe College to Bessie Tift Col¬ 
lege, in honor of Mrs. H. H. Tift, a graduate of this institution at For¬ 
syth, Georgia. Mr. and Mrs. Tift were benefactors of the college. 

The following telegram announced the news to Mr. and Mrs. H. H. 
Tift: 

Cartersville, Georgia 
Nov. 21, 1906 

“With profound pleasure I announce to you that the Board of Trus¬ 
tees of Monroe College, in regular session last night, by most hearty and 
unanimous vote, changed the name Monroe College to Bessie Tift College. 

“This crown we cheerfully place upon the brow of the unfailing friends 
of our beloved college. 

“J. L. White, Pres. 

“Board of Trustees.” 

The building program expanded during this period. In the spring of 
1906, I. W. Myers contracted with Hugger Brothers, of Montgomery, 
Alabama, for the rebuilding of Hotel Sadie at a contract price of about 
fifty thousand dollars. After the completion of the building there was a 
contest to determine a name. Over three hundred names were submitted, 
and the first prize was won by Judge Eve, who suggested “Hotel Myon,” 
My for Myers and on for Tifton. His prize was a month’s free board at 
the hotel. 

During the same year E. E. Slack gave to Mr. Millegan the contract for 
the erection of a brick building on Second Street, In 1907 S. M. Clyatt 
let the contract to T. E. Amason for a five-story building, Tifton’s first 
skyscraper, on the corner of Second Street and Love Avenue. Between 
1906 and 1910 numerous smaller houses were built in Tifton and Tift 
County. 

Especially important was the erection of public buildings. During three 
years Tift County schools made more progress than they had ever made 
before. In 1906 the Omega correspondent of the Gazette reported that a 
school house was being built. In the same year the citizens of Tv Ty planned 
to erect a five-thousand dollar building. The next year the Nipper, Fletch¬ 
er, Brighton, Zion Hope, and Midway school districts planned the con¬ 
struction of school buildings. 

A school survey at the time of the creation of Tift valued the school 
property at seven thousand dollars. In December, 1908, the evaluation of 
the school property was one hundred fifty-five thousand dollars. The survey 
showed further that Tift built more school houses in 1907 than any other 
county in the state. Every school building in the county had been rebuilt 



ABRAHAM BALDWIN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE 
Top—Modern auditorium and gymnasium on the campus 
Center—Air view of the main college buildings 
Bottom—View from the administration building 













70 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


or remodeled during the previous three-year period. The rise in the valua¬ 
tion of school property was due to agitators led by Superintendent Jason 
Scarboro and Captain H. H. Tift, who urged that Tifton should have 
new and adequate school buildings. A bond election authorizing the con¬ 
struct^ of a twenty-thousand-dollar school building was voted in the fall 
of 1905. 

The lot chosen as a school site was bought from H. H. Tift for twenty- 
five hundred dollars. S. N. Adams, of Tifton, was awarded the contract 
at twenty-three thousand five hundred seventy-five dollars. In July Tifton 
voted for local taxation for a public school. Then for the first time the 
school would be town owned and operated. 

On August 10, the corner stone was laid with appropriate ceremony; 
a majority of the business houses in town closed. Chairman W. W. Tim¬ 
mons of the Board of Education was master of ceremonies; J. D. Duncan, 
chief speaker. 

Students headed by Professor Scarboro and teachers marched to the 
site selected for the building. A scrape was secured to which a hauser with 
three ropes was attached pulled by boys and girls and guided by Professor 
Scarboro and Mosley. The first scoop of dirt was pulled by merry chil¬ 
dren. The building and furniture cost $30,000. 

Nineteen-six marked Tift County negroes’ first interest in education 
Sometime before a negro newspaper, the Afro-World, the editorial policy 
of which was that Southern negroes should be good Democrats or Con¬ 
servative Republicans, had urged its following to turn to education for 
salvation. During this year the negroes of Tifton began a school building 
that was to cost two thousand dollars. 

At a meeting of the congregation of the Baptist Church in Tifton early 
in 1906 the question of building a new church was considered. A commit¬ 
tee to solicit pledges to build a twenty-five thousand dollar edifice was ap¬ 
pointed. About twelve thousand five hundred dollars was subscribed at the 
meeting. During the summer a lot was bought from E. P. Bowen and the 
contract for the new building was given to Wagener and Dobson, of At¬ 
lanta and Montgomery, for twenty-six thousand dollars. 

On October 31, the cornerstone of Tifton’s new church building was 
laid with appropriate ceremonies. The Reverend Henry Miller, pastor of 
the Baptist Church, and the Reverend J. W. Domingos, pastor of the 
Methodist Church, conducted the devotional program. The cornerstone 
was laid by Amos Tift with the same trowel with which his oldest brother, 
Henry, laid the cornerstone of Tifton’s first brick church building, Mon¬ 
day, April 8. 1895. 

The new church building was dedicated in June 1908, with Dr. S’. Y. 
Jameson, president of Mercer University, delivering the dedication ser- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


71 


mon. A financial statement from the building committee showed a total 
cost of forty-two thousand dollars. 

Other buildings in the city were the handsome new home of the Bank 
of Tifton, steam laundry, and McClure’s Five and Ten Cent Store, which 
opened on December 14, 1906. 

Another sign of progress during this period was the city waterworks 
and sewerage system. The same bond issue that assured Tifton of a public 
school building also provided for a twenty-thousand-dollar waterworks 
plant. In May 1907, the waterworks system was ready for the city. The 
cost of a building constructed by the city ran the total cost to twenty-five 
thousand dollars. A short time afterwards Tifton authorized the issue of 
thirty thousand dollars in bonds, fifteen thousand dollars for sanitary 
sewerage. Another improvement in the sanitary division was the street 
sprinkler, which arrived on July 30, 1909. 

Plans for county building also were effected in 1906. Early in the year, 
Ordinary W. S. Walker purchased from H. H. Tift the vacant lot facing 
the Tift brick building on Second Street as a site for Tift County’s new 
courthouse. A short time afterwards the ordinary gave the contract for a 
new jail. The successful bidders were Wagener and Dodson; the contract 
price was eight hundred and ninety-four dollars. The contract called for 
the completion by September. 

Important organizations which began during this period were the 
Twentieth Century Library, the Charlotte Carson Chapter of the United 
Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Tifton History Study Club. The 
Board of Trade was revived. 

Further marks of material progress were the new lumber company, 
Phillips Pine Company, owned by J. J. L. Phillips, P. D. Phillips, H. H. 
Tift, and H. H. Scarboro with a capital stock of $25,000, the Tanning 
and Plumbing Company, with R. W. Terrell, manager, and the half 
million deposits in the four banks. Tifton in 1906 had a banking capital 
and a surplus of over $200,000. 

There were two important, but widely different, meetings in 1907. 
The wool growers of Tift and portions of Irwin, Berrien, and Colquitt 
Counties met in Tifton for the purpose of selling that year’s clip. Between 
15,000 and 20,000 pounds brought $5,000. The Georgia Federation of 
Women’s Clubs were entertained by the Twentieth Century Library Club 
of Tifton. Twenty delegates, headed by Mrs. Lipscomb, attended the con¬ 
vention. 

Interesting Items from the Tifton Gazette: 

1906 

“Jan. 26—Keith Carson is the new commander of the Tifton Rifles, 
replacing R. Eve, who has resigned. 

“Judge Eve while expressing an intention to never again take to the 


72 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


sword, acknowledges that the glare of stars and stripes, roll of drum, and 
voice of bugle will never cease, to arouse him and stir his patriotism. He 
was Captain of Co. F, 4th Infantry National Guard of Ga. 

“Population of Tift is 13,000; area of Tift is 308 sq. miles. 

“Feb. 2—Wiley Branch remembers when four acres of land, where 
Hotel Sadie was built, was once traded for a horse, a bridle, and a saddle. 
This property is now worth, without improvements, $25,000. 

“Feb. 16—Brookfield—Two creditable brick blocks have recently been 
built; one by the McMillan Supply Company, consisting of two store 
rooms occupied by this company, carries dry goods, groceries, and a full 
line of farmers’ supplies. The second, built by Bowen and McMillan, has 
two store rooms. 

“March 9—Dr. John A. Peterson has a beautiful practice having been 
here for fourteen years. Dr. Peterson was born in a mighty good county, 
Coffee; Douglas was his home. He was graduated from Atlanta Dental Col¬ 
lege in 1890, and later began practicing in Tifton, uses Wilkerson chair, 
hydraulic engine, and everything modern that can be used in Tifton. He 
has an elegant suite of rooms. 

“Tifton post office receipts will soon enable the post office to be a first 
class post office. Mr. John M. Duff is postmaster. 

“March 30—E. P. Bowen has been elected Tift County’s first repre¬ 
sentative with a majority of 263 votes over S. M. Clyatt. 

“April 27—The board of trade was reorganized last week with the 
following officers: J. L. Herring, president; Briggs Carson, vice-president; 
H. W. Brown, secretary; J. D. Duncan, treasurer. 

“May 11—The Taylor Furniture Company has formed a stock com¬ 
pany, embracing many businessmen of this section. It proposes to incorpor¬ 
ate with a capital stock of $25,000, and do a general furniture and hard¬ 
ware business under the name of Taylor Furniture and Hardware Com¬ 
pany. The stockholders are J. S. Taylor, R. S. Short, J. L. Cochran, J. L. 
Brooks. G. W. Crum, J. W. Taylor, J. L. Gay, J. N. Horne, W. W. 
Fender, H. W. Clements, J. D. C. Smith, R. E. Dinsmore, and T. E. 
Maultsby. Mr. J. S. Taylor is president of the company. 

“June 8—Omega—‘Our town is small, but young; we have two 
churches, a nice school building started, five dry goods and grocery stores, 
one drug store, one livery stable, two blacksmith shops, two cotton gins, 
plenty of good water, good health, and good people.’ Correspondent. 

“June 15—Tuesday afternoon, about 1:15, a severe wind, scarcely at¬ 
taining the force of a cyclone yet far beyond the average whirlwind, struck 
Tifton, inflicting a damage of $8,000 and injuring three persons. The 
Presbyterian church was totally demolished and the plant of the Tifton 
Manufacturing Company was seriously damaged. 

“June 22—It was decided last week to reincorporate the Merchants’ 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


73 


and Farmers’ as a national bank, and to increase the capital stock to 
$50,000, with a surplus of $10,000. 

“July 13—W. J. Henderson is convinced that he has found a good loca¬ 
tion for an oil well one and one-half miles northeast of Tifton. 

“Aug. 3—Tift County’s taxable property is estimated at $3,500,000. 

“Aug. 25—Contractor W. A. Taylor, who is building the new A. B. & 
A. depot has the work well under way and the framing up. 

“Oct. 5—According to appointment, a representative number from the 
churches of all denominations in Tift assembled at Zion Hope church on 
Sunday last, to organize the Tift County singing convention. The con¬ 
vention was organized with the following officers: J. J. Baker, president; 
W. B. Johns, vice-president; J. L. Jay, Jr., secretary. The following were 
elected as an executive committee: W. H. Spooner, chairman; Wm. Gibbs, 
J. L. Jay, J. B. Livingston, and David Whiddon.” 

1907 

“Jan. 18—The formal opening of the new school was held Monday 
with H. H. Tift, W. W. Timmons, and Jason Scarboro addressing the 
students and parents. 

“Jan. 25—Arrangements have been made by the county board of edu¬ 
cation for opening a school this week at the Tifton cotton mills. 

“April 26—In an expression, declamation, and music contest with Nash¬ 
ville, Valdosta, and Moultrie, Miss Florence Rice, of Tifton, won the 
music medal. 

“May 24—For the first time in five years, Tifton has an elaborate pro¬ 
gram of commencement exercises for the public school. The students who 
will take part in the programs are: Amos Tift, Lennon Bowen, Agnes 
Scarborough, Charles Soule, O’Zelma Crosby, and Edwin Scarborough. 

“June 28—In a baby show held in Tifton last week, the following won 
prizes: 3 months to 1 year old, Lois Sineath; 1 to 3 years old, Harriet 
Evans; 3 to 5 years old, Banks Carson. Mrs. E. L. Vickers was awarded 
the prize for the most handsomely decorated cart. 

“July 5—This contract and agreement made and entered into this the 
1st day of July, 1907, by and between the city of Tifton, acting by and 
through the mayor and council of the city of Tifton, of the first part, and 
L. P. Thurman, I. W. Myers, W. W. Banks, O. Daniel, J. E. Cochran, 
E. F. Bussey and J. J. L. Phillips of said county and state, of the second 
part, witnesseth: 

“1. That the said party of the first part has this day granted to the 
parties of the second part, their successors or assigns, the exclusive right 
and privilege for the period of ten years to build, equip, maintain, and 
operate in and along the streets of the city of Tifton, a street railway . . . 

“July 12—Iroquois Tribe, No. 73 Hunting Grounds of Tifton, Reserva- 


74 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


tion of Georgia, Improved Order of Red Men, was organized Friday night 
of last week with the following officers: J. A. Ryals, C. C. Hall, W. C. 
Spurling, O. F. Sheppard, Wm. M. Sellars, A. G. Dickard, E. F. Conley, 
R. G. Coarsey, R. M. Manning, J. A. Peterson, E. O’Quinn, C. M. Bos¬ 
well, C. R. Dickart, W. S’. Smith, S. C. Dorsey, J. M. Jones, R. A. Smith. 

“Aug. i—The Georgia-Florida Sawmill Association has decided that 
every mill operated by a member of the association will close during the 
month of August. 

“Aug. 23—The mills have decided to stay shut down. Labor conditions 
have improved, but prices continue entirely too low to warrant cutting 
timber bought on a high market. 

“Sept. 6—Postal receipts for the fiscal year 1907 are $15,000. 

“Sept. 20—Ty Ty—Mrs. C. E. Pitt is Ty Ty’s pioneer merchant, 
having been in business for twenty years. W. E. Williams, J. R. Willis, 
B. F. Crum, and Jehee Whiddon are among Ty Ty’s merchants. The 
farmer’s cotton warehouse handles about 3,000 bales of cotton annually. 

“Nov. 8—Yesterday officials of the four banks of Tifton met and or¬ 
ganized the Tifton Clearing House Association: H. H. Tift was elected 
president, J. M. Paulk, vice-president, and Frank Scarboro, secretary. Four 
trustees were elected to take charge of its affairs: J. J. L. Phillips, W. H. 
Hendricks, E. A. Buck, and E. P. Bowen. 

“It was decided that, in order to make the cotton crop move without de¬ 
lay, to maintain the price of the staple and to meet the demands of local 
business, clearing house certificates to the amount of $50,000 would be 
issued, and this was done at once, the certificates being in circulation this 
morning. 

“This issue is backed by a deposit of $75,000 in gilt-edged collateral, 
made necessary only by the fact that local banks have been unable to obtain 
currency, due to the recent money panic in the North and East. 

1908 

“Jan. 3—A survey shows that the total property owned by corpora¬ 
tions have paid $3,326.73 to the county treasury for general county pur¬ 
poses and $3,584.52 under the special school levy. 

“The corporations include: Western Union Telegraph Company, South¬ 
ern Express Company, Postal Telegraph Company, Southern Bell Tele¬ 
phone Company, A. C. L., G. S. & F., A. B. & C., and the Tifton Ice & 
Power Company. 

“Feb. 20—Tifton made a holiday of Wednesday. Stores, banks, busi¬ 
ness houses and the public school closed and all joined in celebrating the 
opening of the Agricultural School. 

“April 3—A large crowd of girls left the high school at recess, All 
Fools’ Day, and were immediately followed by Professor Sewell on horse- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


75 


back, and Professor Scarboro in a road cart. The girls were rounded up 
near the A. B. and A. depot and driven into town like herded cattle. 

“May i—C. L. Parker yesterday took Joe Brown and J. B. Murrow, 
Hoke Smith for a five-hundred-dollar bet on the governor’s race. The 
stakes were placed in the hands of R. W. Padrick. 

“May 8—Tifton Lodge No. 1114, Benevolent and Protective Order of 
Elks, was organized last night with the following officers: H. H. Coombs, 
W. T. Smith, R. W. Padrick, C. D. Fish, Geo. E. Simpson, Frank Scar¬ 
boro, H. H. Tift, Jr., C. C. Guest, W. W. Banks, and S. M. Clyatt. 

“May 29—In consolidating the school census of the city of Tifton, 
there are many items of public interest: there are in the city, 409 white 
children of school age and 130 colored. There is one white boy over ten 
years of age who can read but cannot write. There are 21 colored boys who 
neither read nor write. 304 children attended school over 5 months during 
1907. Six have never attended any school. There are no deaf, dumb, blind, 
or idiotic children in Tifton. , 

“Sept. 25—‘Ty Ty—There are twelve stores, two barber shops, two 
ginneries, a sawmill, cotton warehouse, and livery stable. An excellent 
hotel of 14 rooms is conducted by Mrs. Leila Stephens.’ Correspondent. 

“Chula—‘The town has four stores, a cotton gin, and a blacksmith and 
woodworking shop. The two-teacher school has an enrollment of 70 pu¬ 
pils.’ Correspondent. 

“Nov. 6—The Tifton Cotton Mills resumed operation Monday morn¬ 
ing after being closed down a year. 

“Dec. 11—H. H. Tift is in receipt of advice from Secretary Cortelyou, 
of the Treasury Department, that the lot offered by him on Love Avenue 
had been accepted by the Department as the site for Tifton’s new post 
office building. The price paid was $7,000. 

1909 

“Feb. 19—At first, J. C. Britton, who is in charge of the soil survey of 
Tift County, thought the soil in Tift was of the variety known as the 
Norfolk series, but since the work has progressed he is convinced that it is 
superior to the Norfolk, and a grade that he has never yet found in any 
other county during his survey of Georgia. 

“Wednesday, L. E. Lapham, field superintendent and inspector of soil 
survey, with headquarters, came to Tifton and in company with Mr. 
Britton and Clarence Wood, spent Thursday going over the survey made. 
He confirmed the opinion previously formed by them that the soil in Tift 
County was of a new and distinct series and they have named it the Tif¬ 
ton loam and Tifton Sandy loam, and by that name it will be known in 
the future. 

“Feb. 26—Mrs. N. Peterson went over to Ty Ty Saturday, the 13th, 


76 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


where she organized a club in that little city styled the Ty Ty Improve¬ 
ment Club, with the following officers: Miss Dowd, president; Mrs. 
Frank Pickett, vice-president; Miss Mary Nelson, recording secretary; and 
Mrs. R. R. Pickett, treasurer. 

“Aug. 6—The old village of Tifton is going some when she gains a 
hundred thousand dollars in tax values during as bad a year as the past 
twelve months have been. 

“Aug. 27—Twelve names had been sent in up to yesterday to the Tif¬ 
ton Chapter, U. D. C., by Confederate veterans who are entitled to crosses 
of honor, as follows: D. A. Fulwood, J. J. F. Goodman, T. S. Moore, 
D. R. Willis, R. H. Hutchinson, Sr., J. A. Dickinson, O. L. Chesnutt, 
J. M. Eason, Robert Henderson, J. J. Baker, W. A. Patton, and W. H. 
Partridge. 

“Sept. 10—Omega has a population of 300 people, but there are pos¬ 
sibly twice this number supplied by her merchants. The Omega Grocery 
Co. is one of the strong mercantile establishments of this section and en¬ 
joys a large patronage. The company has been doing business in Omega five 
years, and each year has shown a steady and substantial growth over the 
previous year. Guy A. Cox is manager of the company and is the Omega 
postmaster. 

“Miles Cowart is a pioneer in general merchandise. Joseph Marchant 
has a meat market. There is a cotton warehouse, two cotton gins, and a 
grist mill at Omega. 

“Sept. 17—W. O. Tift, Tifton’s postmaster died Sept. 14 at 3:00 
o’clock in Mystic, Conn., of paresis. He was sixty-seven years old. He 
came to Tifton in 1876, was appointed postmaster and held that position 
until 1890. 

“Sept. 24—The Myers Seed & Plant Company, of Tifton, shipped last 
week 100,000 strawberry plants. They are shipping about 10,000 daily 
this week. 

“Oct. 15—First Boys’ Fair: 

“Corn Prizes—First ($10) C. H. Fletcher of Chula School. Second 
($5) Paul Bolton, of the Fender School, Third ($2.50) Homer Bolton, 
of the Fender School. 

“Cotton Prizes—First ($10) Paul Bolton, Fender School. Second ($5) 
Lonnie Exum, Brookfield School. Wilbur Long third ($2.50) Chula 
School. Those receiving $1 each for cotton exhibits: Houston Overby, 
Lloyd Crum, Eddie Yen, Lonnie Exum, Paul Bolton, Wilburn Long, and 
Hughy Johnson. 

“Those receiving (?) each for corn exhibits: Ben Jones, R. L. Sum¬ 
mers, Emory Logue, Houston Overby, Geo. Shannon, J. H. Lieneberger, 
Ernest Dauce, Homer Crum, Etheridge Gay, and Clifford Whiddon. C. 
W. Fulwood also presented each with a pocket knife. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


77 


“Oct. 22—The Gazette carries to its Tift County readers this week an 
announcement that means more for the city of Tifton and Tift County, 
than any move that has been made since the legislative act creating Tift 
County. The woodlands belonging to H. H. Tift will be put on the mar¬ 
ket. Mr. Tift owns 28,736 acres of land in Tift County, nearly all of 
which is woodland. The woodland lots of 490 acres each, will be cut up 
into tracts of 100 acres, or in varying sizes to suit the purchasers, the land 
cleared and fenced and houses built thereon, and sold on comparatively 
easy terms to those desiring homes.” 


CHAPTER X 

PROGRESS FROM 1910—1917 


The year 1910 was ushered in by literary programs in Tifton. The 
Author’s Club dedicated its first program to Ralph Waldo Emerson. Later 
“Enoch Arden” was interpreted by Mrs. Frederick Herr Jones, with the 
accompanying music of Richard Strauss by Miss Deborah McRae. The 
Twentieth Century Library Club celebrated its fifth anniversary with a 
literary and musical program. 

In 1914 this club presented in a grand opera program Signor and 
Madame Bernia, famous artists of the Metropolitan Grand Opera Com¬ 
pany, New York. Signor Bernia alternated in tenor roles with the great 
Caruso, and Madame Bernia was from the Savage English Opera Com¬ 
pany, where she was a leading soprano. 

Superior to even grand opera was Nature’s distinctive contribution to 
this period, Halley’s Comet in April, 1910. People in Tift County rose 
early to observe this celestial phenomenon as it was visible to the naked 
eye in the eastern heavens from a few minutes before 4:00 a.m. until day¬ 
light. This morning star, named for Edmund Halley, English astronomer 
and mathematician, was so brilliant that the early rising moon appeared 
dull in contrast. It had appeared probably twelve times before 1910: 1373, 
1456, 1531, 1607, 1682, 1755, 1835; it is probable that astronomers re¬ 
ferred to the comet in 12 B.C. and A.D. 989, 1066, 1145, and 1501. 

Many people, white and colored, in Tift County thought the world was 
coming to an end when they saw this illumination. 

In connection with Halley’s Comet an interesting coincidence challenges 
attention. Mark Twain, internationally famous writer, who was born 
in 1835 during the appearance of the comet, died in 1910, the last year the 
comet has appeared. 

During this period there were celebrations and meetings of different 
kinds. The great Wirt- Grass Exposition opened on September 27, 1911. 
The main building having 24,000 feet of floor space was draped in colorful 
bunting and brilliantly lighted with electricity. The exposition grounds, 
within five minutes walk from the center of Tifton, covered a space of 
five hundred by six hundred feet between the National Highway and the 
Georgia Southern and Florida and contained eight beautiful buildings. 

Over fifty counties participated in the exposition. Cities had special 
days, Macon, Atlanta, and Savannah. On Governor’s Day—also Atlanta 
day—Governor Hoke Smith and staff, Mayor Winn, President Paxon, 
and two hundred members of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce came. 

The meetings of different organizations were beneficial. The eighth 


78 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


79 


annual convention of the Masons of the Second Congressional District 
was held in T if ton in 1911. A Good Roads Association, having as its pur¬ 
pose the building and repairing of roads throughout the county was organ¬ 
ized. Chairman H. H. Tift, of the Central Route Association, called for 
a meeting of the auxiliary committee for the purpose of securing the speedy 
completion of the National Highway and to form a National Highway 
Association. 

Tift County was represented on Cotton Day at State Federation of 
Women’s Clubs in Albany. This celebration was the first of its kind in 
South Georgia since the War Between the States. Mrs. Jane Walker, a 
widow, wove the cloth on an old-fashioned loom. 

Spring Day at the District Agricultural School was a success. Prizes in 
athletics were offered for such achievements as one-hundred-yard dash, 
one-fourth-mile run, one-half-mile run, one-mile run, running broad jump, 
running high jump, shot put, society wall scaling, greased pole, greased 
pig, sack race, and three-legged race. 

Versatility of progress was further attested by the addition of another 
religious organization—the Primitive Baptist Church. Meetings were held 
in the Presbyterian Church until the Primitives completed their brick 
church. The membership consisted of twenty-five. 

The great era of building which began in 1906 continued vigorously 
through 1916. In May, 1912, Tift County authorized an issue of sixty 
thousand dollars in bonds with which to pay for a site previously selected 
and to build a courthouse. The contract for the erection of the new build¬ 
ing was given to Edwards, Jenkins, and Company, of Ocala, Florida, for 
fifty thousand dollars. On December 10, of the same year, the cornerstone 
was laid with appropriate ceremonies conducted by the Tifton Masonic 
Lodge; but it was not until a year later that the Tift County commissioners 
met with a representative of the contractors to accept the completed build¬ 
ing. The cost of the building was fifty-four thousand, seven hundred dollars,- 

In an oil mill stock canvass of the city early in 1912, a committee from 
the Chamber of Commerce secured subscriptions amounting to sixteen 
thousand dollars. Twenty thousand dollars of the capital stock had been 
pledged previously by several outside oil mills that desired to establish a 
plant in Tifton. The seventy-five-thousand-dollar cottonseed oil mill, de¬ 
clared by an authority to be the best of its kind in the world, was completed 
in 1912. The petitioners for charter were, J. D. Little, John Hill, H. H. 
Tift, W. W. Banks, W. L. Harman, T. E. Stubbs, T. E. and J. J. L. 
Phillips, L. P. Thurman, H. H. Tift, Jr., and J. D. Cook. 

In October of 1912 the International Chemical Company purchased 
from H. H. Tift fifteen acres of land in the northeastern section of the 
city. The company erected for about one hundred thousand dollars an 
acidulating plant, for the purpose of manufacturing commercial fertili- 


80 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


zers. The contractor in charge was J. M. Davis. 

To Tifton housewives there was an enterprise even more important than 
this acidulating plant—a broom factory. Many housekeepers pantomimed 
the saw, “a new broom sweeps clean.” The factory was on First Street. 

Business men were as interested in Tifton’s first cotton compress, for 
which the Chamber of Commerce was responsible, as the ladies were in 
the broom factory. This compress pressed the first bale of cotton in 1912. 

Farmers had a day of rejoicing in 1913, when contracts between J. H. 
Bowen, a Missouri owner of the patents for the Common Sense Harrow, 
and the Tifton Foundry and Machine Company, then recently organized, 
were signed. The latter company took the exclusive manufacture of Brown’s 
invention for the Southern territory. The contracts required a minimum 
output of fifty thousand harrows annually, requiring the purchase of 
twenty thousand dollars worth of new equipment by the foundry. 

During the years before the United States entered World War I many 
people rejoiced over the building program. The following list shows ap¬ 
proximate cost of projects in 1916: paving, $50,000; high school building, 
$30,000; waterworks extension, $25,000; fire department, $6,000; Central 
Grocery Company, $30,000; Rickerson Grocery Company, $25,000; Tif¬ 
ton Packing Company, $150,000; peanut Oil Mill, $25,000; Southern 
Utilities Light and Ice Plant improvements, $40,000; T. W. Tift Theater 
Building, $15,000; and new residences, $50,000. 

Another significant mark of progress was the revival of enthusiasm for 
a new packing plant in Tifton. H. H. Tift, E. P. Bowen, and W. W. 
Banks agreed to 1 “underwrite sixty thousand dollars worth of the stock 
if the city would raise forty thousand dollars and the people outside 
the town, fifty thousand dollars.” The fifty thousand dollars to be raised 
outside the city could be paid in cash, cattle, or hogs, payable on or before 
October 1, 1917. 

Early in 1917 a board of directors was elected for the packing plant: 
H. H. Tift, E. P. Bowen, W. W. Banks, B. E. Smith, I. C. Touchstone, 
R. C. Ellis, Briggs Carson, J. D. Cook, W. D. Fountain, J. J. L. Phil¬ 
lips, M E. Hendry, H. H. Tift, Jr., Frank Scarboro, W. L. Harmon, C. 
W. Fulwood. The officers were: W. W. Banks, president; H. H. Tift 
and M. E. Hendry, vice-presidents; Frank Scarboro, secretary; and R. W. 
Goodman, treasurer. A short time afterwards contracts were given for the 
construction of our one hundred thousand dollars worth of buildings. R. 
V. LaBarre, of Jacksonville, had charge of most of the work. 

In the building program Uncle Sam had a part. The contract for the 
erection of a post office building was given in 1913 to James Devault, of 
Canton, Ohio; the Treasury Department approved of his bid April 16. 
The cost of the building was forty-six thousand five hundred dollars. Three 


1. Fred Shaw’s manuscript about the history of Tift County. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


81 


years later the directors of the Bank of Tifton decided to erect an even 
more imposing edifice than the post office—a fifty thousand dollar bank 
structure. 

Tifton in 1917 authorized bond issue of thirty-seven thousand dollars for 
addition in the waterworks system, for improvements in the fire depart¬ 
ment and for the erection of a new school house. The new building was to 
be used for high school, and the old, for grammar. The contract for high 
school building was given to V. C. Parker and Company, of Waycross; 
the plumbing to a local firm, Morgan, Johnston, and Morgan. 

During this period there was distinctive progress in education. The 
Twentieth Century Library Club had a conspicuous part in the develop¬ 
ment of the rural schools. At that time Mrs. Nicholas Peterson was chair¬ 
man of the education committee. From the beginning she encouraged the 
teachers in the poverty-stricken schools of Tift County to confide in her. 
Mrs. Peterson, a former school teacher herself, was determined to effect 
a reformation in the rural schools. She struggled for an idea—finally it 
came. There were twenty-five rural schools in the county and fifty women 
on her committee. Every two members would adopt a school and inspire 
it to depart from its antiquated methods. 

When the women had been selected for the different schools, they on 
the first visits were impressed by the fact that there was no money, no 
interest from parents, no equipment, no school house that had a shred of 
self respect, no roads that could be worthy of the name for several months 
in the year, no provision made for housing the teachers; it was one long 
unvarying tale. 

“This survey of the ground was the first step. Mrs. Peterson needed to 
do more proselyting. Everyone of the fifty women—and the large number 
she had found necessary to add to that original group—was as interested 
and enthusiastic as she herself. From then on the Tift County rural schools 
changed, sometimes by leaps and bounds, sometimes slowly . . . Every 
magazine, pamphlet, or book that had any bearing on rural schools was 
eagerly seized upon. The women found out what art companies supplied 
pictures and casts for school use and learned their catalogs by heart. They 
wrote to the Bureau of Education, at Washington, D. C., to send its bulle¬ 
tins regularly and for the very complete handbook on athletic games for 
schools, issued by the Philippine Bureau of Education; and to the Normal 
School at Kirksville, Missouri, for their plan by which any school could 
have a complete modern sanitary system for three hundred and fifty dol¬ 
lars. 

“The first big step was to get money. Georgia, as the women soon found 
out by looking up the law, has a regular school tax apportioned out to each 
county, according to the number of children. In addition, it has the county 
unit plan whereby a county may ask that the question of levying a local 


82 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


tax be submitted to the vote of its people, a two-thirds majority being re¬ 
quired to carry it. Mrs. Peterson immediately saw her opportunity. The 
women all became politicians and not a person in the county was allowed 
to go unmolested until he had been convinced by one means or another that 
a local school tax was the one preeminently desirable thing. As a result, 
when the measure was brought up, it received an overwhelming majority 
vote. With that money, new buildings were secured, the term lengthened 
to seven months, and the teachers’ salaries raised to forty dollars, monthly, 
and in some instances to fifty. 

“The first year Mrs. Peterson and her band of workers had many dis¬ 
couragements. They learned that a rural school does not grow up like a 
beanstalk, and that once adopted it has to stay in the family for a good 
many years. Although many of the reforms they wanted to institute needed 
only money, the majority demanded the cooperation of not only the teacher, 
but of the children and their parents as well.” 2 

The attainment of state requirements for a standard country school was 
the goal of all school mothers; after the struggles of these sponsors for 
five years, sixteen schools qualified for their diplomas, and six or eight 
were lacking in only one point. 

“Mrs. Peterson has a typical story to tell of the Camp Creek School, 
which she took into her charge. 

“ ‘The first thing I did was to go to my school. I naturally felt timid 
about going on a mission of this kind; but I mustered up courage, and one 
morning I invited some friends to join Dr. Peterson and myself in a little 
picnic on the river about three miles beyond the school. In my car I car¬ 
ried a delightful reader, one who could entertain children by the hour. 
I told her what I was going to do and urged her to come to my rescue and 
do her best. First, I spoke to the children and told them that I wanted to 
help them make their school the best in the country . . . ; then I had this 
friend recite, and she completely captured the children. When I asked 
them if they would like to have me bring her back again, they responded 
as one. 

“ ‘Next, I sent them “Miss Minerva and William Green Hill” for the 
teacher to read to them. Very soon I went again, this time taking some pic¬ 
tures I had left from my school work. I carried tacks and hammer and 
had the children help me group them and put them up. Asking questions 
about those I knew they were familiar with and telling them about others. 
This pleased them. 

“ ‘They had their stove set in a box of sand that had never been emptied 
and in which all expectorated; so I talked to them on sanitary health topics, 
told them dangers of such things, and asked if they would not take it up 
and send to town to get a piece of tin. They did this right away. I also 


2. McCall’s Magazine, November 1915. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


83 


called their attention to the need of cleanliness and of washing windows 
and polishing the stove. The very next Saturday, when the teacher came 
to town, he asked me where to buy polish, as the girls had told him not to 
come back without it. I also gave him a waste-paper basket and several 
story books. Then I offered a medal for scholarship, a prize for penman¬ 
ship, a prize to the neatest and cleanest child in the school, and to the 
child who used only his own drinking cup. 

“ ‘On one visit I asked the children if they would like to own their 
own library. Of course, they said “yes.” I told them, then, if they would 
make up enough money to buy a good bookcase that I would give them 
the library, never dreaming that they would do it that term. This was on 
Tuesday morning. The teacher came to town on Saturday with twenty 
dollars the children had sent for me to buy their bookcase. You can imagine 
my surprise as well as delight. I canvassed every agency I could think of 
and in a few days I had it filled. When I carried the books down, I had 
the teacher dismiss the school and let the children help fix them. I believe 
they were the happiest children I have ever seen in my life. But I have 
never been quite so extravagant in my promises since. 

“ ‘Our attendance w’as increasing so steadily on account of the new 
things being done for the school that a new room was in sight, and by 
Christmas we had to add it and employ another teacher. Next, we planned 
to improve the grounds. I went down and spent the day, and while the 
men plowed the ground, and put up a fence, the women and children 
planted the seed and plants that I had brought them. It looked very nice 
at dark when I left for town. At the same time I had an old piano which 
the Tifton Board of Education had discarded taken out to them. Since 
then, we have kept adding improvements, from time to time, until we 
have beautiful grounds, two rooms filled with good pictures, piano, books, 
water cooler, tables with nice covers, pretty pot plants in jardinieres, shades 
and curtains to all windows, cloakrooms, and large clock. The little girls 
exhibited at our fair whole suits of underwear, luncheon-sets, towels, pillow¬ 
cases, scarfs, centerpieces, caps, aprons, dresses, in fact, everything that you 
can think of. They have also been taught canning, preserving, cake-bak¬ 
ing, candy-making, and the boys woodwork. We have had our diploma from 
the State Board of Education for over a year’.” 2 

In 1915 Tift County had a signal honor. At an educational meeting in 
Atlanta, a resolution was passed for the association to try to stamp out 
illiteracy in Georgia. As a preliminary step there was to be selected a 
county in which to blot out completely adult illiteracy. After much dis¬ 
cussion Tift was selected on account of its progress in rural education. 

Closely allied to the progress in education was another improvement, the 
Tift County Hospital, which opened on May 21, 1915* The equipment 


2. Ibid. 



84 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


was among the best in this section of the state. It consisted of nine rooms, 
including an operating room and maternity ward. 

Tift County not only progressed in education during these peaceful 
days, but discovered itself as an agricultural center. The blast of the long 
whistle at the H. H. Tift mill on June 23, 1916, announced not only that 
the employee’s work was over for all time, but that a new era had dawned 
—the era of agriculture. In relation to this last whistle the Tifton Gazette 
said, “It sounded its own requiem and bid Tifton farewell. All of the 
timber in this section has been cut. 

“H. H. Tift established the mill in 1872. It was burned in 1887 and 
soon afterwards rebuilt. Except for the interval and a short period from 
the summer of 1915 until early in the present year, the mill has been in 
constant operation. 

“The mill will be dismantled, the best parts sold and the remainder 
scrapped. The tram road will be taken up and the rails sold. The planing 
mill will be retained for a while, the machinery operated by electric motor.” 

As early as 1912 farsighted lumber brokers left Tifton. During June 
of that year a farmer’s institute was conducted in the courthouse by the 
State College of Agriculture. At the conclusion of the program the Tift 
County Agricultural Association was organized with J. W. Hollis, pres¬ 
ident, and C. V. Martin, secretary. 

Two months later Henry Tift announced his intention of building a 
thirty-six foot boulevard, eight miles in length to encircle the city. It was 
finished in 1914, and the entire cost, $10,000 was borne by H. H. Tift. 
Land bordering on the boulevard was placed on sale, inside land being 
put into city lots and outside land into five-and-ten-acre lots. 

The presenting of the second exhibition of the South Georgia Land and 
Agricultural Exposition was an accomplishment of 1912. The prizes won 
by Tift County farmers were: cotton, W. H. Willis $50; J. T. Mims, 
improved corn and cotton planter with plates, valued at $15; hay, W. L. 
Harman, $25; peanuts, G. R. Denby, $10; cotton, corn, and peanut 
planter with roller, valued at $13.50; cane, W. H. Ponder, $15. 

Early in 1913 the State College of Agriculture offered a two-day course 
for farmers of Tift County. Experts in every phase of farm work, includ¬ 
ing soil selection and preparation, seed selection, fertilizing, cultivation, 
harvesting, and marketing, together with stock and poultry raising and 
dairying gave free lectures. 

At this time there were a number of large farms near Tifton, including 
the following: the J. D. Cook farm with 702 acres in cultivation; the W. 
A. Greer farm with 900 acres in cultivation; the J. H. Young plantation 
with 1,800 acres in cotton alone. The most money, however, was made 
by small independent farmers. An indication of a modern trend in farm¬ 
ing was the organization of a truck growers’ society with two hundred 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


85 


acres pledged. In 1914 P. D. Fulwood had on his truck farm twelve acres 
in cabbage seed which expected to yield ten million plants. 

In 1915 Tift County won first prize for the best county exhibit at the 
Georgia-Florida Fair. The exhibit of the Tifton Farm Tool Manufactur¬ 
ing Company won five blue ribbons. Foremost among Tift County’s indi¬ 
vidual competitors was R. S. Kell, whose cotton exhibit won three prizes. 
The following Tift County Corn Club boys won trips to Atlanta Harvest 
Festival: Warren Walker, Mike Tucker, John Barnes, R. A. Griffin, 
Butler Hollis, Joe Cravey, Jeff Mickle, Hunter Royal, Joseph Blount, 
Colin Malcolm and George Conger. The following received a scholar¬ 
ship to the Boys’ Corn Club short course at Athens: George Conger, 
Johnnie Conger, Sim Stewart, and Richard Drexel. 

A distinct sign of progress was Tift County’s donation of $1000 to 
secure a farm demonstrator; an equal amount was to come from the State 
College of Agriculture and the National Department of Agriculture. Of 
Tift County’s share, three hundred dollars was to be paid by the A. and M. 
School, and the remainder secured by private subscription. L. S. Watson 
was appointed the first farm demonstrator in the county. 

The climax of the period was the introduction of a bill in the legisla¬ 
ture to provide Tift County with an experiment station. The author of 
the bill, R. C. Ellis, was also the author of the statewide sanitation bill. 
His arguments were so convincing that much sentiment was attached to 
his proposal. 


CHAPTER XI 


“WORLD EARTHQUAKE”—WORLD WAR I 

The Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in 
June 1914 at Sarjavo—then followed on July 28 the first tremors of the 
“World Earthquake”—Austria declared war on Servia. “The Archduke 
and his wife were assassinated in Austro-Hungarian territory by an Aus¬ 
tro-Hungarian subject.” 1 The Servian government had no responsibility 
in the crime. Austria, however, blamed Servian secret societies and indi¬ 
vidual Servians who influenced Austro-Hungarian subjects. When the 
Austrian government demanded that Servia denounce activities that in¬ 
cited such crimes as this assassination, the latter agreed, but refused to 
allow Austro-Hungarian officials a part in the punishment of the insti¬ 
gators. 

Austria used this refusal as a pretended cause for declaring war. The 
genuine reason, however, was the former’s desire for more territory. Austria 
wanted access to the Aegian Sea and the route through Servia was the 
most desirable. 

These tremors grew into a quake that finally shook the entire world. 
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy for a while stood together as the 
Triple Alliance; England, Russia, and France, as the Triple Entente. 

The quake shook cotton low and food prices high in Tift County. There 
was, on the other hand, a favorable effect. September 14, 1914 was an¬ 
other achievement day for Tift County: on that date in order to give 
quick service with war news, the Tifton Gazette appeared with a new 
name, the Daily Tifton Gazette. This change made Tifton distinctive; it 
was the smallest town in the United States with a daily newspaper. 

About three years after the establishing of the Daily Tifton Gazette, 
April 6, 1917, bold headlines in the Gazette told a story: “United States 
Declares State of War With Germany.” Crowds in front of the Tifton 
Gazette office, waiting for news; cheers of listeners in front of the court¬ 
house as the band played “Over There,” “A Long, Long Trail;” moist 
eyes as the rhythm changed to “Keep the Home Fires Burning,” “Till We 
Meet Again,” “Smile the While”; school children knitting sweaters or 
making candles; liberty loan drives; war sermons from the pulpit; service 
stars on the window; Red Cross activities; a whole town fasting and pray¬ 
ing for the tide of war—these pictures were true to the Tifton of 1917- 
1918. 

The large number of men who enlisted for military service through the 
Tifton station during the latter part of April and the early part of May 
attested a high degree of patriotism in Tifton. On May 18, people re- 

1. Tifton Gazette. 


86 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


87 


ceived notice of President Wilson’s proclamation that all male persons be¬ 
tween the ages of twenty and thirty-one years should register on June 5, 
1917. 

Patriotic citizens continued to volunteer for service from the county 
after the first registration. During this crisis the county and town were in 
accord with the nation. There were, of course, a few “slackers,” but the 
blaze of patriotism outshone these sparks of dissension. 

A Tift County negro, who was filing his questionnaire with the local 
board, exhibited a patriotic attitude. Although he had a wife and child, 
he requested no exemption. When asked if his wife wanted to file an ex¬ 
emption claim, the negro replied, “No, boss, she would if I wanted her to, 
but I don’t. I was born and raised here and want to go along with the 
rest.” In reference to this statement, J. L. Herring, editor of the Tifton 
Gazette, said, “Had this negro been a gifted orator and spoken an hour, 
he could not have said more. A hero could not say more.” 

According to Captain Heidt, Tift County sent to the army more men, 
in proportion to population than any other county in the state. 

Despite the turmoil of war, there were various developments in Tift 
County. The Tifton Packing Company, Fulwood Park, Heinz Salting 
Station, and the new passenger station for Atlantic Coast Line and 
Georgia Southern and Florida, worth twenty-five thousand dollars, were 
completed during the war period. The Bank of Tifton moved into its 
new home on March 26, 1917. 

During this year, too, the undergrowth on the land given by H. H. 
Tift for a park was cleared, trees trimmed, the banks of the big ditch, 
running through the grounds, leveled, and trees, such as magnolias, arbor 
vitaes, holly, dogwood, crepe myrtle, and weeping willows were set out. 

The year 1917 was also important on account of an illustrious visitor 
to Tifton, William J. Bryan. 

An innovation in the Tifton High School that year was the publica¬ 
tion of the first annual, the Talisman, which sold for fifty cents. Pat 
Fulwood was editor-in-chief. 

The second issue, which came from the press in 1918, was dedicated 
to J. L. Herring, editor of the Tifton Gazette. One of its main fea¬ 
tures was its section honoring the boys in service. Mildred Slack was 
editor-in-chief. 

Another innovation during the period was the introduction of day¬ 
light saving. On the first night after this change Tifton people, for¬ 
getting that the hands of the clock had moved up, yawned and stretched, 
when suddenly observing that it was ten o clock. Then realizing that 
ten o’clock was just eight by the former time, these citizens laughed at 
themselves. 


88 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Along with daylight saving came fasting according to the following 
lines: 

“Monday is wheatless. 

Tuesday is meatless. 

Wednesday is wheatless. 

Saturday is porkless. 

Every day one meal wheatless. 

Every day one meal meatless.” 

This kitchen theme for 1918 was as important as the liberty loan 
drives. Tift during April of 1918 led all Georgia counties except Fulton 
in the organization of war savings and thrift stamps. Every school in the 
county organized for the sale of stamps and for other phases of war aid. 
Students of the junior high school in Tifton made in two weeks four¬ 
teen hundred trench candles for our “Doughboys” and “Sammies,” 
pseudonyms for the United States soldiers. (“Boches” was the nick¬ 
name for German soldiers. The term was derived from Coboche, French 
word for head, big thick head.) Tift went over the top with the fourth 
liberty loan drive. 

For women there was in 1918 an amendment to the Constitution that 
was almost as significant as the liberty loan drives. For the first time 
women in Tift County, as well as those in the entire nation, had the 
privilege of voting. 

An important literary achievement for Tift County in 1918 was the 
publication of J. L. Herring’s “Saturday Night Sketches,” which re¬ 
ceived enthusiastic applause from all groups of people. Herring was hailed 
as “the prose laureate of the Wiregrass.” 

These signs of progress, material and literary, were the rifts in the clouds 
of war. Every home in Tift County was touched by the horrors of this 
“storm and stress” period. Then finally one day anxious mothers, wives, 
and sweethearts welcomed a calm. 

On November 11, 1918 there was great rejoicing in the world, and 
Tifton joined other towns and cities in celebrating peace. In the absence 
of Mayor Hargrett, Mayor Pro Tern. McLeod issued a proclamation, clos¬ 
ing all business houses at 1130 and declaring the day a holiday. 

Whistles screamed for thirty minutes. Cars filled with merry noise- 
makers paraded the streets all the afternoon and part of the night. Young 
and old with tin pans, bells, horns, tomato cans, and crackers kept the vi¬ 
brations going. A long procession marched to the rhythm of Herbert Moor’s 
drum. Over a hundred Packing Plant employees marched into town, carry¬ 
ing large American and British flags. Trucks from the Central Grocery 
and other companies carried at intervals different loads of people, who were 
giving joyous yells. The Red Cross Chapter filled one impressive float. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


89 


Many cars were attractively decorated. The town band in fantastic cos¬ 
tume added to the colorful parade. 

The fighting had ceased, but the effects of the upheaval could not cease. 
The struggle for normal conditions was active for years after the Armis¬ 
tice. During this struggle, however, Tift County again achieved. In 1919 
came the announcement that Tifton had secured the experiment station. 
Long blasts of the fire whistle gave the good news. 

At a meeting of the board of trustees of the Coastal Plain Experiment 
Station in Waycross, Tifton and Tift County’s bid for the station was ac¬ 
cepted. Tifton’s cash offer was raised to $25,000 to meet that of Savannah, 
her nearest rival. Furthermore, such articles as the following from “Cairo 
Messenger,” no doubt, had a strong influence in the selection of Tifton. 

“By all means, and by all that is right and fair, the Experiment Station 
should be located in Tifton. 

“When the bill was passed at the last session of the Georgia Legislature, 
creating an experiment station for this portion of Georgia, it was intended 
that it should be placed where it would be of best service to the greatest 
number of farmers. This being true, then Tifton is the logical and proper 
place for it.” 

At the first meeting of the board of trustees in Savannah, they inspected 
the site offered by Chatham County. A few days before their final decision, 
they came to Tifton to inspect the site here. Later the trustees inspected 
the sites offered by Worth, Ware, and Appling Counties. Not until 1922, 
however, did Spooner and Cauthen receive the contract for erecting the 
administration building. 

Tift County was acquiring the habit of “building, bonding, and boom¬ 
ing.” (Fred Shaw’s manuscript on Tift County History.) In the Spring 
of 1919 the county floated a $300,000 bond issue for the improvement of 
the roads. This bond issue was followed by smaller issues in every town 
in the county. 

In the industrial division of Tifton an important change came when 
Armour and Company of Chicago bought the plant of Tifton Packing 
Company. Another important phase of industrial progress in 1919 was the 
establishing at Tifton of the first tobacco market in Tift County. 

Along with material progress Tifton did not forget to pause for tributes 
to some of its citizens. The Twentieth Century Library Club dedicated 
a program to mothers, Mrs. H. H. Tift and Mrs. J. C. Goodman, and 
presented J. L. Herring a loving cup. The town expressed its confidence 
in and appreciation of H. H. Tift by requesting him to serve as mayor of 
the city, and he responded to the request. The Board of Trade presented a 
silver loving cup to Mr. J. L. Herring. 


CHAPTER XII 


THE TURBULENT TWENTIES 

The active prosperity in Southwest Georgia lasted only a few years 
after World War I. Although there was little dire want in the early 
twenties, prosperity was bidding farewell to this section. 

During the war, the thrifty packing plant, the meteoric cotton market, 
the successful Frank Scarboro Company, the success of all forms of busi¬ 
ness gave Tifton’s business square the air of the nineties. The material 
progress of churches often gives an index to financial conditions in a com¬ 
munity: the Primitive Baptists of Tifton, though few in number, built 
at this time a seven-thousand-dollar church building. 

Nineteen-nineteen was important for two developments, which eventual¬ 
ly gave Tifton and Tift County such distinctions as few things had given 
since the farewell blow of the whistle at the big Tift mill: the revival of 
interest in tobacco and the establishment of the Coastal Plain Experiment 
Station in Tifton. 

A tobacco warehouse company leased the plant of the Tifton Compress 
Companj 7 , and made additions costing $3,500. A survey of the tobacco 
acreage within the county revealed that there were one thousand two hun¬ 
dred acres used for cigarette tobacco in Tifton. During that summer 
539)735 pounds of tobacco was sold for $111,933.35 or an average of 
$20.74 a hundred pounds—a remarkable achievement. In 1920 the to¬ 
bacco stemming and redrying plant of Imperial Tobacco Company began 
operation. 

The following year more than one hundred tobacco barns were built in 
the county. The greatest evidence, however, of the interest in tobacco was 
the construction of a $200,000 stemming and redrying plant by the Tifton 
Investment Company in 1920. The Imperial Tobacco Company immedi¬ 
ately took charge of the plant—a transfer that assured Tifton of large 
payrolls during the summer and fall when the plant was in operation, and 
of the employment of scores of white men and a hundred negroes. In 1922 
the Investment Company sold its interest in the plant to the Imperial peo¬ 
ple and used the profit to erect a large tobacco warehouse. 

Although the financial structure of Tift County was beginning to totter 
in 1920, Tifton enjoyed for a while the “hang over” from war-time pros¬ 
perity. Not realizing the financial uncertainty that they would encounter 
during the transitional period between the saw and the plow—this com¬ 
munity then was on the verge of the change to agriculture—Tifton people 
continued to build. The Imperial Tobacco Plant at $206,000, Southern 
Bell Telephone office at $35,000, L. E. Bowen building at $18,000, resi¬ 
dences and small business houses, $359,402, were constructed. In 1922 


00 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


91 


E. P. Rose gave the contract for a $5,000 edifice. The South Georgia Power 
Company built a cold storage plant in connection with local ice plant. 
Howell and Gibbs built a large refrigerator plant at their market. 

Although this building program indicated prosperity, early in 1923 J. 
L. Herring wrote: “1922 was marked by more than the average of busi¬ 
ness worries, industrial distress, and financial uncertainty.” 

There were many proofs of a vital interest in agriculture. Governor 
Walker spoke at a county-wide rally, stressing cow-hog-hen week. Georgia 
Duroc Breeders Association was formed with headquarters in Tifton—a 
result of cow-hog-hen week. A livestock day was sponsored by the Tifton 
Board of Trade. A stock judging team from our county won first place 
in the district contest and second in the state contest. Through the agricul¬ 
tural committee of the Tifton Board of Trade, the Boys’ Cotton, Corn, Pig 
and Calf Clubs were formed. About one thousand farmers attended the 
farm school in cooperation with County Agent Culpepper and Georgia 
State College for Men. Tift County shipped 2,000,000 tomato plants in 
1923, and in 1929 shipped peanuts to Africa. 

In addition to the building and agricultural program in the twenties 
there were other signs of progress: the opening of the Ritz Theater, the 
establishment of a bakery, printing shop, feed store, South Georgia Adver¬ 
tising Company, peanut shelling plant, a new furniture store, the first dry 
cleaning plant in the county, and eight new filling stations in one year. 
Cohen’s Store was enlarged. The Tifton Garden Club organized and plant¬ 
ed shrubbery near the Bank of Tifton, Board of Trade, courthouse, and 
high school building. The first new industry in 1927 was an ice cream 
factory operated by Wilson Brothers, R. C., and I. E. 

Conspicuous improvements in 1928 were: the completion of a whiteway 
described “as the largest and finest of any in any city of equal size in the 
state;” the presentation of memorial columns at entrance to the Georgia 
State College campus, erected by members of the class 1928-29; and the 
receiving of official wave-length designation and broadcasting license from 
the Federal Radio Commission for Radio Station WRBI, operated by 
Kent’s Furniture and Music Store. After operating for twenty-one years 
and twenty-one days the city court of Tifton closed in 1928. During the 
period 4,401 civil and 3,181 criminal cases were tried. 

Among the significant improvements in 1929 was the opening of the new 
bus terminal, which with two waiting rooms and two rest rooms, well 
heated or cool, according to season, satisfied all requirements of passengers. 
Complete telegraph service—day, night, and holiday—was effected in 1929 
for Tift County citizens. 

During the period Tifton was alive with new clubs and other organiza¬ 
tions. In 1920 a band, a local organization of the American Cotton Or¬ 
ganization, a Sweet Potato Growers’ Association, and the Tift County 


92 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Post of the American Legion began. In 1921 the Tift County Masons, 
potato curers, retail food dealers, and watermelon growers organized. In 
Omega a woman’s club was organized. 

In 1922 group activity continued. Ty Ty organized a board of trade. 
The Kiwanis Club, three troops of Boy Scouts, and the Tifton Chapter of 
the W.C.T.U. were active. The Georgia Cotton Growers, Georgia Asso¬ 
ciation, Berry School alumni, Forestry Club, and Lions Club made their 
contributions to the progress of Tifton. The Ku Klux Klan made its 
ghostly entrance and quick exit that year. 

Only the American Legion and the peanut growers joined in 1923 the 
organization unit. In 1925 the Tifton Country Club began with twenty 
members and subscriptions amounting to $1,500. 

The activity of these clubs increased the morale of the town and county 
and created the appearance of prosperity, even if prosperity was in reality 
on the wane. In 1921, however, there was one support for the club im¬ 
pression: the first city manager, W. T. Hargrett, gave Tifton one of the 
best business administrations in its history. A summary of his record fol¬ 
lows : 

“Tifton came out of 1921 $18,000 to the good. Besides this, $1,175 was 
spent in betterments; the tax rate on realty was reduced 5 per cent and 
there will be a substantial reduction of water rates this year.” 

“According to Mr. Hargrett’s report, over $11,000 was paid on out¬ 
standing accounts brought over from 1920, including $1,600 for livestock, 
and $2,500 was paid on the bonded indebtedness of the city. There remains 
due the city on 1921 taxes $31,580.59. On the same date last year there 
was due $21,988.25, leaving a balance due this year above last of $9,492.64. 
Against these total assets there is an outstanding voucher of $2,600 and a 
difference in the stock on hand this year as compared with last of $1,371.42. 
This leaves the city $18,271.22 better off financially Jan. 1, 1922, than it 
stood on Jan. 1, 1921.” 

His hearers caught their breath when Manager Hargrett asked the 
commission to reduce his salary from $3,800 to 3,600. 

A very interesting point about the commission form of government was 
that this type was introduced on the thirtieth anniversary of Titton’s or¬ 
ganization as a city. On the first of January, 1891, five councilmen were 
sworn in: H. H. Tift, E. P. Bowen, W. W. Timmons, John Pope, M. A. 
Sexton, and J. C. Goodman; two of these men, H. H. Tift and E. P. 
Bowen, were members of the first commission. 

Late in October of 1922 Mr. Hargrett tendered his resignation as city 
manager to accept the position of president and general manager of the 
Live Oak, Perry and Gulf Railroad in Florida. R. E. Hall succeeded him 
as city manager. 

Another phase of progress during the twenties was education. When M. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


93 


L. Duggan, rural school agent, made a survey of the Tift County schools 
in 1918, there were in the county the following schools: Salem School, 
Old Ty Ty, Vanceville, Nipper, Pine View, Brighton, Bay, Omega, 
Excelsior, Oak Ridge, Brookfield, Harding, Ty Ty, Red Oak, Myrtle 
Camp Creek, El Dorado, Fletcher, Filyah, Hot Creek, Fairview, Chula, 
Ansley, Pearman, Midway, and Emanuel. In addition there were fourteen 
schools for negroes. 

As the result of the consolidation program we have the following con¬ 
solidated schools: Brookfield, Chula, El Dorado, Excelsior, Harding, Ome¬ 
ga, Ty Ty, Emanuel, and Red Oak. In addition to the Tift County Indus¬ 
trial School there were several one-teacher negro schools in the county. 

The school system of Tifton under the management of A. H. Moon 
progressed rapidly during this time. He raised Tifton High School to group 
one in the state and Southern Accredited Association lists. In the late 
twenties the junior high school building was constructed at a cost of 
$45,000. A capable faculty with Mrs. Nan Clements operated this school. 
The grammar school under direction of Miss Annie B. Clark advanced 
rapidly. In 1927 there was new consolidated school in El Dorado. 

In July 1924 “the House Committee on the University of Georgia and 
its branches reported out a recommendation for passage by substitute the 
bill of Representative R. C. Ellis, of Tift County, to establish a college 
of agriculture and mechanical arts and normal school as a branch of the 
University of Georgia, in Tifton, to be known as the South Georgia Agri¬ 
cultural and Mechanical College. 

“The bill provides that the new institution be located on a tract of 
land on which the Second District Agricultural and Mechanical School is 
located. The measure also provides that tuition shall be free to all residents 
of Georgia.” 

Further discussions about education are given in another chapter of the 
history of Tift County. 

The March wind that comes in like a lion goes out like a lamb. 
Financially speaking, the nineteen-twenties came in with a roar and went 
out with a slump. Nineteen-twenty-nine is a memorable year, for it marks 
the beginning of a different era. The entire world changed drastically be¬ 
tween the twenties and thirties. The step from the former to the latter was 
like crossing the line between two states; the step also resembled the few 
minutes at the altar between the titles, Miss and Mrs. 

Few things have been the same since 1929. Instances will support the 
theory. There was a drastic fall in salaries after that year: people who in 
the twenties worked for two hundred dollars a month worked in the 
thirties for seventy-five dollars a month. Jobs were difficult to secure in 
the latter period, and there were more demands on the applicant: a woman 
who in 1922 secured an excellent college position without a personal inter- 


94 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


view could not in 1930 get a minor high school position without a per¬ 
sonal interview. Age was stressed more in the latter period than in the 
former; fort)' years, for instance, were marked old. 

From the files of the Tifton Gazette 

1920 

“Honor arch to C. W. Fulwood is to be erected by Twentieth Century 
Library Club . . . The Gazette office has just completed the installation of 
an Intertype, one of the latest models of typesetting machines . . . Organi¬ 
zation of the Georgia Division of the Old Indian Trails Highway Asso¬ 
ciation was perfected at a meeting held in Tifton Friday, at which every 
county in Georgia traversed by the highway was represented with one 
exception.” 


1921 

“Eleventh District Press Association for second and third districts 
met in Tifton . . . Twentieth Century Library Club pays tribute to Mrs. 
N. Peterson.” 

1922 

“M. A. McMillan was in Tifton Tuesday and called at the Gazette 
office. He says he taught what was Tifton’s first school in 1874. He taught 
in a log house on east side of New River, between where the present church 
is located and the river. He had about twenty pupils, four or five from 
Tifton.” 


1923 

“Thirty thousand dollars will be spent on city improvements.” 

1924 

“On February the fourth Woodrow Wilson died . . . Church well will 
put on a sale in celebration of Churchwell’s store anniversary twenty-eight 
years in Tifton.” 

1925 

“City commissioners and city manager have turned over the park to 
C. W. Fulwood for beautifying. March 20, plans were laid for a real 
park in Tifton . . . The State Highway passed a resolution to appropriate 
$50, OCX) to start work in Tift County on paving highway, provided Tift 
would put up $100,000 . . . John Temple Graves was buried Monday, 
August 10 . . . Tifton Trade Territory Day, Tifton, Georgia. $1,000 in 
gold free. Shower of gold took place in Tifton on Tifton Trade Territory 
‘Get-Together-day’.” 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


95 


1926 

Tifton put over a bond election as the result of which $90,000 is made 
available for paving and other municipal improvements. Plans for $25,000 
three-story Sunday School plant at Methodist Church agreed on . . . 
Susquecentennial Exposition was opened at Philadelphia and will continue 
until December 1. Celebration of the 150th anniversary of the signing of 
the Declaration of Independence in observance of 100th anniversary of 
death of Thomas Jefferson.” 


1927 

“Record breaking receipts at the Tifton post office . . . During Decem¬ 
ber fifty new families moved on rural routes, and population on routes 
increased 300 . . . Honorable Chase S. Osborn will lecture for the Her¬ 
ring Memorial scholarship fund at A. and M. Twentieth Century Library 
Club is sponsoring the lecture . . . Tift County was forced to turn away 
over a hundred prospective settlers because we did not have the farms. 
We’ve placed 50 families, among them people from Illinois, Maine, Massa¬ 
chusetts, Carolina, and Florida. These people are our best advertisers . . . 
The paving of National Highway in Tift and the overpass were finished 
in 1927.” 

1928 

“There was encouragement of a house building program, ready-to-go- 
farms, and efforts toward the promotion of the cow-hog-hen-plan ... In 
May the Georgia Association, termed the Georgia Board of Trade was 
guest of the local Board of Trade. As a result, Tifton and Tift County re¬ 
ceived nation-wide advertising ... In June we (Board of Trade) spon¬ 
sored Air-Mail Day. Tifton is one of only 7 points in Georgia to which 
air mail is accessible ... In November the Board of Trade sponsored Hos¬ 
pitalization Day. On the highway north of town we entertained out-of- 
state visitors, who came by, and the form of entertainment was lunches 
consisting of Tift County products.” 

1929 

“Board of Trade ordered 1,000 plants for highway beautification . . . 
Postal receipts increased from $36,230.74 to $40,292.31 . . . Red Cross 
had free courses in life saving and first aid . . . Population of T if ton in 
1929, 4,508 . . . Seventeen new residences. W. P. Bryant, of Tift County 
chosen as master farmer. Twelve general farms selected from a list of 
ninety-eight nominees will receive the award of the Progressive Farmer 
and Farm Magazine. . . . Chase Salmon Osborne lectured recently to the 
Board of Trade about the possibilities of Tifton’s becoming a great city.” 


CHAPTER XIII 


THE DEPRESSION 

The thirties were the dark spots on the financial maps of every county in 
our land. Everyone was depression conscious; guests at parties and other 
social gatherings did not hesitate to discuss finances. Depression plants, 
depression entertainments, Hoover’s depression carts, and depression money, 
script, were introduced. 

The depression plants in shop windows and homes were beautiful and 
inexpensive; the plants grew from a combination of salt, soda, water, coal, 
and mercurochrome; the chemical reaction produced the flower.. Simplic¬ 
ity characterized the entertainments; refreshments, decorations, and guests’ 
gowns were inexpensive. Some homes had depression shrubbery in the 
yards; gall berry bushes and other wild plants were effective substitutes. 
Times were so strenuous that Democrats put automobile wheels on carts, 
signifying that people had no use for cars. Tifton and other towns issued 
script to employees. 

Jobs were difficult to secure; in fact they were so scarce that even Ph.D. 
graduates in some of our cities roamed the streets looking for employment, 
and it was not unusual at all to find taxi drivers with degrees. 

In 1931 small hats, small dollar bills, and small high school diplomas 
were introduced. Probably some of these changes were the results of the 
depression. 

The depression topic, however, dropped for a while in 1936 for the 
romance of the Prince of Wales, who upon the death of his father had 
became King Edward VIII of the British Empire, and Mrs. Wallie War- 
field Simpson, of America. Since England opposed the marriage, the king 
had to choose between the throne and Mrs. Simpson. On December 11. 
1936 Edward abdicated the crown, and his younger brother, George VI, 
ascended the throne. Everyone who had a radio in Tifton tuned in for 
the famous farewell speech of Edward. By some Tifton citizens his words 
were received with disapproval; by some, with admiration; by others, with 
tears. His closing words, “I cannot carry on without the woman I love,” 
have become a classic in the list of famous romances. His voice, strong and 
clear in the beginning, broke on the farewell sentence. This romance may 
have a place with that of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning. 

To return strictly to Tift County, in 1934 Tifton High School began a 
new type of commencement exercises by choosing a celebrity and center¬ 
ing the program around his achievement. The graduating class that year 
selected as class honoree Harry Stillwell Edwards, nationally famous au¬ 
thor of “Eneas Africanus,” “Sons and Fathers,” and other stories. Ernest 


96 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


97 



Tift Theater and Street Scene 


Neal, Georgia poet laureate, was selected in 1935; Dr. W. F. Melton, poet, 
teacher, journalist, and later poet laureate, in 1936; Morgan Blake, jour¬ 
nalist, in 1937. William Sutlive, journalist, in 1938; Ralph McGill, jour¬ 
nalist, in 1939. 

Despite the depression there was progress in Tift County. In 1930 farm 
schools were operated, and educational pictures presented. Boys received 
$2,685 for their cotton on September 15, 1930, Annual Cotton Club Day. 
The county tour was held in July. Cooperative sales were under direction 
of County Agent Culpepper. Poultry brought $23,350; hogs, $38,356; 
velvet beans, and sweet potatoes, $375. Truck farming revived and more 
than fifteen hundred people called for farms in Tift County. 

Several new enterprises opened in Tifton during this period. Downing 
and Company, Auto Supply Company, Loel’s Ten-Cent Store, four new 
grocery stores, Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company, and a bureau 
of markets were among the number. A large pecan shelling plant, with 
capacity to handle all the pecans the county could purchase in this sec¬ 
tion, began operation in Tifton November 1, 1937, on second floor of the 
Coleman and Chandler Building. 

In 1933 two lumber markets, a large chicken hatchery, cotton mill, 
















98 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


fertilizer plant, peanut mill, and a tobacco stemming plant were additions 
to Tift County. Kent’s furniture store and Kulbersh’s new department 
store were opened. The cornerstone for American Legion Home was laid. 
The formal opening of the $15,000 basketball shell was significant in the 
progress of athletics. Tifton Coca-Cola Bottling Company finished a hand¬ 
some new plant, a modern sanitary, and up-to-date building. A new Nehi 
plant was constructed. The Columbian Peanut Company finished a large 
peanut warehouse, an office, and weighing shed. 

The Tift Theater with some of the best equipment in South Georgia 
opened on February 22, 1937. The magic eye, operating doors and foun¬ 
tains, was an innovation in this section of Georgia. The theater received 
from the Ritz Theater in Marianna, Florida, the largest post card that 
ever came to Tifton. This card of congratulation, twenty-four by forty- 
eight inches, required $2.62 postage. 

Electrical progress was exhibited in the 110,000 volt electric power sub¬ 
station of the Georgia Power Company; it was practically completed with 
cutting in of the new Tifton-Valdosta 66,000 volt line. The Tifton station, 
which cost a half million dollars, was connected with Columbus through 
Americus. Another phase of this progress was the one hundred miles of 
rural electrification line. 

The Farmer’s Bank of Tifton opened for business in February 1937. 
Joseph Kent, Senior, was president, and J. S’. Harris and Dan Fletcher, 
vice-presidents. 

A new water plant was constructed at a cost of $79,000. “Omega in¬ 
stalled a hypochlorinator on its municipal water supply. All municipal and 
industrial water supplies were sterilized in Tift County. This county is 
the first with more than one city system in the deep-well section to have 
sterilization equipment on all its supplies.” 1 

Among the improvements in buildings were the remodeling of new 
rooms at the Colonial Inn, the additional equipment of the Tifton Floral 
Company and the Southern Ornamental Nursery, changes in the Myon 
Hotel, and Armour’s expenditure of $50,000 on the plant, which re-opened 
on November 1, 1935. It had closed in 1920. The Tifton Board of Trade 
helped the athletic association with enclosing field and grading ground. 
The ball field was equipped with metal fence, and flood lights for night 
games. 

Several Tift County people and institutions were honored during this 
time. Senator Moore was honored at a program dedicating Moore High¬ 
way, which connected Abraham Baldwin College and Georgia Coastal 
Plain with state route seven. She was presented a loving cup. The highway 
was named for Mrs. Susie T. Moore because she introduced the bill to 
have paved roads in front of all colleges in the University sj r stem. She was 


1. Tifton Gazette. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


99 


also nominated for honorary membership in the International Pilot Club. 
The Democratic Luncheon Club of Georgia, with Mrs. Dunn as presi¬ 
dent, gave a dinner at the Atlanta Athletic Club in honor of Senator 
Moore, vice-chairman of the Georgia Democratic Executive Committee. 

A granite marker at Tenth Street entrance to Fulwood Park was un¬ 
veiled to the memory of J. L. Herring, H. H. Tift, founder of Tifton, 
and C. W. Fulwood, first chairman of the Park and Tree Commission. 
Trees were planted in Fulwood Park for Mr. Fulwood and Miss Leola 
Greene. 

Mrs. N. Peterson, Dr. Peterson’s wife, was presented a certificate of 
leadership and later named one of the captains in the Women’s Field Army 
for the control of cancer for the Second District. She received national 
recognition on account of her pioneer work in rural education. 

Mrs. H. H. Tift, benefactor of Bessie Tift College, was honor guest 
at a reception at Rhodes Memorial Hall, when Miss Ruth Blair, state 
historian, and the officers of the Bessie Tift Alumnae Association received 
guests. An exquisite miniature portrait of Mrs. Tift had been presented the 
state’s collection of famous Georgians in Rhodes Memorial Hall. In 1937 
the second edition of “American Women’s Who’s Who” contained names 
of four Tifton women: the late Mrs. Bessie Willingham Tift, educator; 
Mrs. Josie Golden Clyatt, organist; Mrs. Nell Britt Tabor, singer; and 
Mrs. Lillian Britt Hensohn, singer. The name of Mrs. Hensohn was also 
included in “Who’s Who in the East.” 

Mrs. Clyatt was elected president of the Georgia Federation of Music 
Clubs, during the meeting of State Federation of Music clubs in Tifton, 
and Mrs. C. R. Dyer corresponding secretary. 

Lillian Britt Heinsohn and Nell Britt Tabor appeared in recitals in and 
near Philadelphia. A Pennsylvania paper, The Daily Local News, com¬ 
mented : 

“Songs from the South by two charming sopranos, who looked as 
though they had stepped out of a family photograph album of a genera¬ 
tion or so ago, formed the entertainment at the opening meeting of the 
New Century Club, of this place, yesterday. Lillian Britt Heinsohn and 
Nell Britt Tabor, wearing costumes reminiscent of the middle of the last 
century, sang negro spiritual, plantation songs, and ballads that were 
favorites fifty or sixty years ago, in a manner that brought back to the 
memory of many a hearer, voices long silent and made them realize anew 
how sweet the old songs were.” 

Mrs. Heinsohn and Mrs. Tabor broadcast old-time Southern songs over 
WHAT, the Philadelphia station, which was under the direction of the son 
of W. W. Atterburv, president of Pennsylvania Railroad. They succeeded 
so well with their program that they received an invitation to present a 
group of songs at the spring meeting of the agents of the New York Life 


' 1 



NOTED TIFTON WOMEN 


Top—Mrs. Susie T Moore, first woman state senator in Georgia, well 
known in politics and for charities. 

Second row—Mrs. Nichols Peterson, who has made distinctive contribu¬ 
tions to education and women’s club work in Tifton and Tift County. 

Second row, right—Mrs. Paul D. Fulwood, Sr., known over the South as 
rose gardener and in Tifton for interest in civic improvements, especially in 
beautifying city and Fulwood Park. 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


101 


Insurance Company in Washington, D. C., at the New Williard Hotel . . . 

Several Tift County boys and girls were honored during the period. 
Herbert Hall, of Omega, won the Southwest Georgia District prize in 
the Arcadian Nitrate of Soda Contest by producing 2,655 pounds of cot¬ 
ton on one acre. 

Whitfield Scarboro was selected by the commander of his company at 
Fort Moultrie as the best Four-year man and sent before a board of examin¬ 
ers to compete with the best Blue course trainees from other companies. Hav¬ 
ing proved to be the best Blue in the C.M.T.C. battalion, he was decorated 
publicly by Major Shield Warren, camp commander, Eighth Infantry 
U. S. A. 

Fourteen-year-old Willis Dysart, of Omega, Georgia, startled Emory 
University professors when he exhibited in 1938 such feats as adding in 
seven seconds a group of seven three-digit figures, adding in twelve seconds 
a group of eleven three-digit figures and finding the square root of such 
figures as 138,799,961. He calculated without pen or pencil. Willis said 
that his mathematical gift came to him in a dream on the night his mother 
died. He stopped school because he could not get on with teachers or 
students. A favorite trick was to learn one’s bithday and tell immediately 
the person’s age in days, hours, minutes and seconds. 

Prof. H. W. Martin, Emory psychologist, and Dean E. H. Johnson, 
head of business adminitsration pronounced Dysart a prodigy. On July 5, 
1938 Willis appeared on Robert L. Ripley’s radio program. Another Tift 
Countian was presented by Ripley. Smoky Joe Cravy, of Chula, appeared 
with the Ripley show at the New York World Fair. Joe played his har¬ 
monica and blew a police siren through his ear. 

Miss Pauline Weatherington in 1937 was chosen princess at the Slash 
Pine Festival. Miss Mildred McLeod was elected Miss Georgia in a 
state contest. Miss Iona Beverly was queen of 1933 festival of States cele¬ 
bration at St. Petersburg. Miss Christabel Kennedy received an appoint¬ 
ment as clerk in capitol branch of the post office in Washington, D. C., and 
was later appointed secretary to Senator George. Miss Lillian Touch¬ 
stone’s biography with biographies of two other Wesleyan seniors appeared 
in American College Year Book. Miss Caroline Kelley represented Tifton 
at a Beach celebration in Jacksonville. 

George Sutton, who made the supreme sacrifice in 1945, by a competi¬ 
tive examination, won a scholarship to Emory University during the thir¬ 
ties. 

Toby Cook, seven-year-old Tift County boy, who rode on ponies eight 
hundred-eleven miles from his home in Chula to Washington, D. C., to 
be in the inaugural parade of 1933, while passing the reviewing stand, re¬ 
ceived a salute from President Roosevelt. Toby was received by three gover¬ 
nors, Blackwood, of South Carolina, Ehringham, of North Carolina, and 


102 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Pollard, of Virginia. The boy spoke three times over radio at Richmond, 
and over the NBC and Columbia networks from Washington, met sena¬ 
tors, other public officers, screen notables, and radio stars, including Kate 
Smith, Tom Mix, Joe E. Brown, Amos ’n’ Andy, Buffalo Bill, Jr., and 
Thelma Todd. 

Toby was enthusiastically received at many points on the trip by offi¬ 
cials, school children and other citizens. In South Hill, Virginia, A. W. 
Jeffry directed a reception in honor of Toby. Pictures of the boy, his ponies, 
and retinue were published in newspapers and magazines over the country. 
He was guest of the Georgia Congressional delegation in Washington until 
he rode in the parade. 

Accompanied by his father, and two negro servants, John Townsend and 
Jesse Allen, Toby rode in five-mile relays his ponies, Billy, Jim, and Pet, 
for fifteen days to Washington; he spent three days getting out of Geor¬ 
gia. The riding time computed in hours was between one-hundred-fifty and 
one-hundred-sixty. Mr. Cook drove a car, to which he had attached a house 
van to accommodate ponies and provide feed, food, such as Georgia cane, 
ham, “taters,” et cetera, and camping equipment. The boy had selected 
Billy for the parade, but the intervention of an accident changed the plan 
to Jim. Within thirty-five miles of the end of the trip he and his retinue 
were stopped on a highway, which was being repaired and forced to ride 
on a shoulder of the road. Cars going in opposite directions tried to pass; 
one car skidding struck Toby, throwing him thirty-five feet over a fence and 
down an embankment and killed Billy. Although bruised and stunned, 
the boy rode on after first aid. 

Toby was to lead the fourth section of the parade, heading Georgia 
delegation, but he accepted an invitation from the chairman of the New 
Jersey delegation to lead their section, which was third, to show friend¬ 
ship between the two states. He was entertained at lunch by the New 
Jersey delegation. A noted New York cartoonist, a guest at the luncheon, 
drew a cartoon of Toby; all the guests, hosts and hostesses autographed it. 
He secured a number of autographs during the trip. 

He and Frances A. Bishop, ninety-two years old, at that time oldest 
holder of a Congressional Medal for bravery, had their pictures made 
before CBS. 

The Cook party had planned to stay in Washington a while after the 
inauguration, but on account of the bank holiday they hurried home, driv¬ 
ing night and day. The ponies enjoyed a ride home 

For several weeks after his return, Toby had fan mail; as many as 
thirty-one letters arrived in one day. He answered with post card scenes 
of Tifton. 

None of these rich experiences affected Toby who, the same unassuming, 
affable little fellow when he returned, continued his school work and later 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNT Y 


103 


entered Tifton High School. After completing the tenth grade here, he 
went to Florida, where he later received a diploma. During World War 
II he volunteered for service in the Marines. On March 26, 1945, Mr. 
Cook received this message from the Navy Department: “Pfc. James W. 
(Toby) Cook killed on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, of the Marine Corps 
killed March 1 ‘in the performance of his duty and in the service of his 
country'. ’ The message was signed by Lieutenant General A. A. Vande- 
grift—Commandant of Marine Corps. 

E. P. Bowen, Jr., of Tifton, one of the largest farm operators in this 
section, was appointed by Henry A. Wallace, Secretary of Agriculture, as 
one of the collaborators on the new soil conservation program, which took 
the place of Triple A. 

Some of the colored people of Tift County were honored during the 
period. Lilia Deas, wife of J. M. Deas, principal of the Tift County In¬ 
dustrial School, colored, was for her group head of the Georgia W.C.T.U. 
She was one of the best teachers ever connected with the local negro 
school. Besides being state president of the colored W.C.T.U., she did 
efficient work in Tifton after organizing a union. 

In 1939 the first novelist of Tift County had a novel, “Leila’s Unusual 
Heritage,” published by Pegasus Publishing Company, New York. 

Institutions and organizations, as well as individuals were honored. In 
1932 the Gazette was the first newspaper in the state to win the award 
offered by the Georgia^Bankers’ Association for the newspaper in Georgia 
doing the most constructive work for the restoration of confidence. In 
1936 the Gazette was the first paper in the state to win the award offered 
by the War Cry, publication of Salvation Army, for the best editorial 
published during the year 1935 to 1936, on a religious subject. 

The Gazette was the first and only paper in the state to win award 
offered by the Emory School of Journalism for the best editorial on the 
aims, ideals, and purposes of a newspaper. 

During the session of the Georgia Press Association in 1932 the Gazette 
received the Bankston trophy for carrying the largest percentage of local 
news of any newspaper in the state, and the cash prize for producing the 
best job printing. 

In the educational department, Tifton High School won first place in a 
district meet, second in state debating contest, and contributed the most 
points to the banner which the Second District won in the State contest. 
The school paper, the Pioneer, won in a contest conducted by Emory Uni¬ 
versity and the Atlanta Journal a certificate of distinction for being among 
the best high-school mimeographed papers in the Southern states. The 
Pioneer also won the cup for being the best high-school mimeographed pa¬ 
per in the state. 

In 1936 the City of Tifton won second place and a cash award of $750 


104 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


in the home-town contest conducted by the Georgia Power Company. Mrs. 
N. Peterson received the prize for Tifton and made an acceptance speech. 

Another honor came to Tifton when the first cabinet officer, Henry A. 
Wallace, Secretary of Agriculture, visited the city. 

The Telephone Exchange, first in the Valdosta District to recover from 
the telephone depression set a new record in the number of telephones in 
service. The event was celebrated with a barbecue in Fulwood Park. 

Chula received congratulations on being the first community in this sec¬ 
tion to establish a Red Cross first aid. 

The American Legion honored Jefferson McLendon Parker in a me¬ 
morial service and unveiled his picture. Mr. and Mrs. Ed Moore donated 
two acres in the northern part of Omega to be used as a memorial park to 
their son, Joe Warren, who lost his life in a gin. The Peterson baby me¬ 
morial fund—citizens whom Dr. N. Peterson ushered into the world con¬ 
tributed to the fund—grew large enough to furnish a nursery at the Tift 
County Hospital. Irwin County, the grandmother of Tift County, un¬ 
veiled in 1936 a monument to Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy 
“at the spot where 1 his arrest lent a touch of drama and a fifty-year argu¬ 
ment to the end of the War Between the States.” 

Mrs. Ralph Johnson, now of Tifton, was master of ceremonies at the 
unveiling. “Mrs. Johnson, president of the Mary V. Henderson Chapter 
U. D. C., of Ocilla, and division chairman of the Jefferson Davis Memo¬ 
rial Committee, has worked energetically and persistently for sixteen years 
to see the dream of the Davis Capture ground converted into a memorial 
because of standing reality.” (Tifton Gazette.) Mrs. Johnson is a charter 
member of the Tift County Historical Society. 

In 1938 the Tifton High School annual, the Talisman, revived for the 
first time since 1918 and dedicated that volume to Tifton High School 
graduates who served in World War I; Gerald Herring, Sr., Bob Herring, 
Jeff Parker, Neil Ryder, Silas O’Quinn, Roy Thrasher, Donald Ryder. 

In 1934 the Tifton High School dedicated a program for the U. D. C. 
to Beverly Patten Leach, the only surviving Confederate soldier in the 
county. 

In 1931, according to the vote of the people, Tifton’s most valuable 
men were: E. P. Bowen, Sr., J. L. Bowen, F. G. Branch, R. E. Freeman, 
H. F. Freeman, George Gibson, J. G. Herring, C. B. Holmes, Joe Kent, 
D. C. Rainey and H. D. Webb. The Tifton Gazette sponsored the voting. 

During the thirties Tifton was host for several meetings of organiza¬ 
tions. Board of Governors met with vocational teachers of South Georgia 
and visitors from Washington, D. C. The Regional Red Cross, a regional 
medical association, and a county agent’s meeting were held in Tifton. 
The District Educational Association, which met here, had one thousand 

1. Tifton Gazette. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


105 


teachers and the Georgia Agricultural Society had a good attendance. The 
Kansas F. F. A. was entertained in Tifton. The Tobacco Institute with 
assistance of our warehouses and the Experiment Station was successful. 
Attractive quarters where visitors could read or rest were established. The 
meetings of Georgia Federation of Music Clubs in 1930 and of Georgia 
Press Association in 1932 were distinctive honors for a small town. 

The eleventh convention of the Georgia Federation of Music Clubs 
opened in Tifton on April the second, 1930. After Mrs. J. D. Downs gave 
a prelude on the piano, a procession of officers, directors, chairmen, and dis¬ 
tinguished guests followed to the rhythm of “God of Our Fathers.” Miss 
Elizabeth Spence read the collect of the National Federation of Music 
Clubs, and Dr. W. L. Pickard pronounced the invocation. 

Mrs. M. E. Hendry, president of the Tifton Music Club, introduced 
Dr. W. L. Pickard for the main address. She then introduced the state 
president, Mrs. W. P. Harbin, of Rome, who after giving her response 
introduced the state officers, district directors, department chairmen, and 
Mrs. De Los Lemuel Hill, of Atlanta, Georgia, member of the national 
board. Mrs. Hill introduced the two national officers here for the conven¬ 
tion, Mrs. Grace W. McBee and Mrs. Helen Harrison Mills. 

The opening session of the forty-sixth annual meeting of the Georgia 
Press Association at Tifton was mainly a tribute to William G. Sutlive, 
associate editor of the Savannah Press and best known as “Bill Biffem.” 

On the last evening of the convention, in recognition of the services of 
Miss Leola Greene, society editor of the Tifton Gazette, as a veteran news¬ 
paper woman, Mr. Bruce Donaldson, in behalf of the Tifton Presidents’ 
Club, presented her with a bouquet of roses. 

The Georgia Ice Manufacturers and the Canning Institute, with three 
hundred delegates, too, had an interesting meeting. Three October days 
were Tifton Trade Days, which advertised the town and allured crowds 
here. 

Nature made the most spectacular contribution to the events of the 
period. On the morning of February 15, 1934, children with gleeful yells 
welcomed a beautiful scene—a phenomenon to South Georgia—snow had 
fallen 2.2 inches on Tifton soil. On January 24, 1935, the town was cov¬ 
ered again with snow. 

Another unusual thing about the thirties was the longevity of Tifton 
people. According to Roland Harper, research specialist, who studied the 
length of lives recorded on tombs in the Tifton Cemetery, the span of 
life of Tifton citizens showed an increase from an average of twenty-eight 
years in 1900 to fifty-five years in 1930. He examined two-hundred-ninety- 
nine records. Three per cent of the people reached eighty. The average life 
from 1895 to 1900 was twenty-eight years; from 1900 to 1905, twenty- 


106 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


five years; 1905 to 1910, seventeen years; 1915 to 1920, thirtye-ight years; 
1930, average fifty-five years. 

Women lived longer than men except from 1920-1925: males lived 
forty-three years; females, forty. 

In connection with longevity of Tifton people in the thirties, the 
Gazette commented about the number of Tift couples who had been 
married more than fifty years. Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Youmans celebrated 
their sixtieth anniversary; the Honorable and Mrs. T. B. Young, their 
fifty-ninth. Mr. and Mrs. S. N. Adams and Judge and Mrs. J. J. Baker 
were married more than fifty years. “If you want to be happily married, 
move to Tifton,” was the slogan the Tifton Gazette suggested. 

Others who celebrated their golden wedding anniversaries were: Mr. 
and Mrs. A. L. Bishop, Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Hargrett, Mr. and Mrs. 
J. N. Horne, Judge and Mrs. S. F. Overstreet, Mr. and Mrs. James M. 
Varner, Dr. and Mrs. Milton Price, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Scott Hand, 
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Pearson, Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Fletcher, Sr., Mr. 
and Mrs. Davis Whiddon, Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Davis, Mr. and Mrs. W. 
T. Dean, Mr. and Mrs. J. Z. Paulk. Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Bryant were 
married fifty-seven years. 

Some of the people who reached three score-and-ten or more during this 
period were: Mrs. Rhoda Goodman, Brookfield, celebrated her seventy- 
ninth birthday; M. L. Whitfield, seventy-ninth; J. T. Tyron, seventy- 
first; Mrs. N. A. Bowen, ninetieth; Mrs. Susan T. Partian, seventy- 
ninth; Mrs. W. A. Doss, seventieth; Aunt Jane Branch, ninetieth; Mrs. 
Babe Gibbs, eighty-second; Mrs. J. H. Crisp, Fender, celebrated her eight¬ 
eenth birthday, although she was seventy-two years old—she was born on 
February 29; Mrs. Matilda Moore, eighty-ninth; Mrs. W. W. Griner, 
her eighty-eighth; J. W. Taylor, eightieth; Mrs. N. J. Goggans, eightieth; 
Mrs. A. Conger, seventy-ninth; Mrs. Elizabeth Paul, eighty-first; Wil¬ 
liam Willis, seventy-second; Mrs. M. T. Ford, seventy-seventh birthday; 
Mrs. Mary D. Jones, eighty-ninth; G. W. Conger, eighty-third; “Grand¬ 
pa Greer,” ninetieth birthday; Jacob Hall, eighty-second; Mrs. J. Rig- 
don, Sr., seventy-fifth; Mr. Freeman Hall, seventy-ninth; Mrs. Ellen 
Lankford, ninety-second; Mrs. W. W. Griner, eighty-ninth; William 
Willis, seventy-third; Mrs. J. T. Pitts, seventy-fifth; Mrs. J. R. Willis, 
seventieth; Mrs. W. A. Doss, seventieth; Babe Gibbs, eighty-second; Mrs. 
W. M. Pound, eighty-second; George Seay, ninetieth; Mrs. J. D. Boze¬ 
man, seventy-fifth. Mrs. N. A. Bowen, mother of E. P. Bowen, Sr., made 
the highest score on blows when she blew out ninety candles on an angel 
food birthday cake. Mrs. N. G. Goggans scored next when she blew out 
eighty candles on her cake. 

The two salient birthday celebrations were the observance, beginning on 
September 16, 1937, of the one-hundred-fif.tieth anniversary of the sign- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


107 


ing of the Constitution of the United States of America and the celebra¬ 
tion of Georgia bicentennial in 1933 by the Tifton High School graduat¬ 
ing class. 

Proclamation 

Whereas the Constitution of the U. S. was signed on Sept. 17, 1787 and 
had by June 21, 1788 been ratified by the necessary number of states and 

Whereas George Washington was inaugurated as the first President 
of the United States on April 30, 1789 

Now, therefore I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United 
States of America, hereby designate the period from Sept. 17, 1937, to 
April 30, 1939, as one of commemoration of the 150 anniversary of the 
signing and the ratification of the Constitution and of the inauguration of 
the first President under that Constitution. 

“In commemorating this period we shall affirm our debt to those who 
ordained and established the Constitution in order to form a more per¬ 
fect union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the 
common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of 
Liberty, to ourselves and our posterity. 

“We shall recognize that the Constitution is an enduring instrument fit 
for the governing of a far-flung population of more than one hundred 
thirty million, engaged in diverse and varied pursuits even as it was fit 
for the government of a small agrarian nation of less than four million. 

“It is therefore appropriate that in the period herein set apart we shall 
think afresh of the founding of our Government under the Constitution, 
how it has served us in the past and how in the days to come its principles 
will guide the Nation forward.” 

Excerpt from a pamphlet prepared by the Georgia Education Depart¬ 
ment: 

“The period fixed by the President of the United States for the country 
at large and by the Governor of Georgia for this state for celebrating the 
sesquicentennial of the Constitution of the United States extends from Sep¬ 
tember 17, 1937, to April, 1939. This period begins with the one-hundred- 
fiftieth anniversary of the day the Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, 
September 17, 1787, and ends with the one hundred-fiftieth anniversary 
of the day George Washington the first President of the United States 
(which office was first created by the Constitution) was inaugurated in 
New York, April 30, 1789.” 

The Constitution was signed by William Few and Abraham Baldwin 
from Georgia. The latter signer is especially interesting to South Geor¬ 
gians because Abraham Baldwin College near Tifton bears his name. 

During the celebration week organizations and schools in Tift County 
gave appropriate celebrations, commemorating the signing of the Constitu¬ 
tion. 



Top—Business street scene in Tifton 

Second row—Entrance to Fulwood Park. Home of Mr. and Mrs. Paul D. 
Fulwood, Sr. 

Third—Woman’s Club and Public Library 
Bottom—Tifton street scene during Shriners ceremonial parade 













HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


109 


Another pointer to the past, though less significant, was interesting. Dur¬ 
ing the thirties there was a revival of quilting and making quilts. Groups 
of women and girls in the country and town made quilt squares and quilt¬ 
ed. The editor of the Tifton Gazette in 1935 had this article: “It has 
been a long time since we saw a school girl patching and quilting but little 
7-year-old Myrl Marchant is patching a quilt at the home of her parents, 
Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Marchant. Myrl has a quilt she made when only five 
years old. Now that is what we call industrious, also unusual for modern 
times.” Skipping from 1935 to 1938 we find another article: “The quilting 
out at Mrs. E. L. Lott’s was of great interest for the ladies for 3 and 4 
miles from Enigma. There were only 2 quilts, but they were tedious.” 
During other years in the thirties there was a revival of quilting. 

Young and old enjoyed these quiltings, which were a novelty to the for¬ 
mer and a reminder of the “good old days” to the latter. Sometimes remi¬ 
niscences were interrupted by discussions of the New Deal, which was 
introduced by President Roosevelt. 

The first effective change in his administration was the closing of all 
the banks in the country for several days in 1933 and making depositors 
safe for the first time in years. There had been so many bank failures that 
people were afraid to deposit their money in banks. In fact, some people in 
different sections of the country returned to the old method of banking, 
socks and bags. There were various kinds of organizations to help the 
unemployed and relieve the starving. The length of the bread lines was 
appalling. 

The alphabet had its part in the New Deal. Some of the organizations 
to help relieve the strain were: A.A.A. Agricultural Adjustment Adminis¬ 
tration; C.G.C., Civilian Conservation Corps; F.E.R.A., Federal Emer¬ 
gency Relief Administration; H.O.L.C., Home Owners’ Loan Corpora¬ 
tion; N.I.R.A., National Industrial Recovery Act; N.R.A., National Re¬ 
covery Administration; P.W.A., Public Works Administration. 

Before this federal relief came, people were desperate. Newspapers were 
full of suicides on account of financial strains. There were, however, dif¬ 
ferent reactions to the New Deal: some Tift County people hailed it as 
the savior of the country and declared that there would have been a revo¬ 
lution had it not been for the election of Roosevelt, for hungry people know 
no limit to fierceness; others criticized the New Deal as government inter¬ 
ference. In a democracy there will always be conflicting opinions about 
every movement. Nothing can be perfect in a world of imperfections. 
There will always be people who exemplify the truth of Burkes statement: 
“And having looked to the government for bread, on the very last scarcity 
they will turn and bite the hand that fed them.” Some people will always 
take advantage of relief. 

The New Deal although magnanimous in its purpose, like all other 


110 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


movements, had its flaws. There were conscientious job seekers who re¬ 
ceived aid efficaciously and went to work at the first possible moment; 
there were also indolent people who received undeserved aid. In Tift Coun¬ 
ty there were both classes. An example of the former was a man’s return¬ 
ing groceries given by the government after securing a job. 

Some people will abuse always privileges of a democracy. Should we 
abolish our form of government, which is the best, on account of flaws? 


CHAPTER XIV 

WORLD WAR II—SECOND “WORLD EARTHQUAKE’ 


Mingled emotions of sadness, fear, and gayety characterized 1940. 
Germany had blitzed into Poland on September 1, 1939, and started 
World War II. Our country, though declaring neutrality was tense; for 
no one knew where the Axis would crash next, and almost everyone feared 
that Germany’s ultimate aim was the United States. Despite premonitions 
of danger, however, there was prevalent at times gayety—sometimes a des¬ 
perate form—that expressed itself in different kinds of entertainments. 
Wedding bells pealed with the speed of war years. There was a large 
number of birthday celebrations, golden weddings, and more dances thpi 
usual. The revival of quilting parties, which began in the thirties, extended 
through 1940. Some of the weddings were among the most elaborate in the 
history of Tifton. 

Several octogenarians celebrated their birthdays. Mrs. L. D. Taylor, 
born on February 29, although eighty-four years old, had had only twenty 
birthdays. Other octogenarians who celebrated their birthdays were Mrs. 
Sumantha Branch, Mrs. Emily Owens, and Mr. Tommie Walls. 

There were improvements, too, in Tifton. The Tift County Depart¬ 
ment of Public Health was the first county health department in the state 
to be selected to give field training for public health nurses. Holmes Or- 
grain, County health engineer, reported that the rat control in the city 
was progressing. The vent stoppage program was successful. 

The bookmobile with a capacity for handling one thousand books in 
Tift County arrived from Atlanta during this time and began operation 
immediately. The W.P.A. rented the chassis and the county commission¬ 
ers, library committee, and county board of education helped buy the body. 

The bookmobile covered the entire county every two weeks, and books 
were available to every person in the county. Two thousand dollars was 
spent on new reading material. 

Tifton’s first streamlined train, which made its first trip through Tif¬ 
ton on December 19, was an innovation. 

The Young Democratic Club and Sportsman Club were organized. 
The following officers were elected for the former: John T. Ferguson, 
president; R. M. Kennon, vice-president; John Henry Davis, secretary- 
treasurer; for the latter club: J. P. Short, president; L. O. Shaw, vice- 
president; Willard Gaulding, secretary-treasurer; board of directors. 
George H. King, J. L. Stephens, Blanton Smith, Oren Ross, E. A. Gibbs; 
membership committee: W. F. Zimmerman, Chairman Ed Kent, and J. 
O. Ross; Jake Herring, publicity chairman. 


Ill 


112 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 



mm 



Housewives were particularly interested in the opening of the Tift 
County Farm Women’s Club Market. The Tip-Top Pants Manufacturing 
Company opened a plant at Omega. 

In 1940 preparations for defense began. Judge R. Eve was appointed 
Tifton District Commander of the Georgia State Defense Corporation. 
Home Guards experienced strenuous practices, and blackouts gave an idea 
of civilians’ action during a raid. 

Tifton citizens, young and old, grabbed newspapers and sat by radios 
for news about the war in Europe. In perusing papers for war news, read¬ 
ers occasionally took time to read about achievement of Tifton people. The 
Star, a six-page weekly at Brunswick, began in 1940 with Lutrelle Tift 








HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


113 


editor, Amos Tift, Jr., business manager, and David Tift, circulation 
manager. The paper was chockfull of news of the Golden Isles of Georgia. 
Howard P. Smith, Jr., received a scholarship to the National Institute of 
Journalism, and recognition in a national magazine for his achievement in 
astronomy and for the construction of a telescope. 

The greatest celebrations of the year were: “I am an American Day,” 
proclaimed by President Roosevelt for those who had attained their 
majority or become naturalized citizens during the year; the ninety-eighth 
anniversary of Crawford W. Long’s successful use of ether for the first 
time; National Newspaper Week with the theme that the press con¬ 
stitutes the first line of defense in the battle for democracy. Dr. Crawford 
W. Long was a great uncle of Mrs. J. D. Cook, of Tifton. Her mother’s 
father was Dr. Long’s brother. 

The gravest event of 1940 was the teachers’ registering men for the 
army. On a bleak rainy day, October 15, teachers in Tift County—the 
registration was nation wide—registered 2,584 young men. Among the 
numerous points of information was the color of eyes. Teachers were sur¬ 
prised to learn that some men did not know the color of their eyes. Later 
McKinley Bradford, colored, thirty-five years old, of Brookfield, was the 
first person to have his name drawn for the army. He received serial num¬ 
ber one as the Tift County Board began drawing and numbering registra¬ 
tion cards of those registered for selective service. Cards were thoroughly 
shuffled and placed in a zinc tub. Mrs. Peggy Coleman, blind-folded, drew 
the first card. 

People were more w T ar-conscious in 1941 than in 1940. Defense meas¬ 
ures advanced. School children bought defense stamps and bonds on every 
Tuesday and knitted sweaters for soldiers during study halls. First-aid 
courses and home nursing were taught in schools and in the town. Almost 
everyone in Tifton bought stamps and bonds. 

The first important project of 1941 in Tifton was the completion of 
thirty mattresses a day. Miss Lucy Ruth Hall, demonstration agent, was 
in charge of the project. 

On passing the former Alms House, about three miles from Tifton, 
one might have thought that people were enjoying an old-fashioned picnic. 
These farm families were having a mattress picnic. About thirty families 
went to the community center for the purpose of “building” mattresses. 
These families worked congenially together in three shifts of ten each. 
Only people of low incomes or salaries were eligible. 

One woman in each family cut and made a tick while the men cut and 
fluffed a mattress. After the woman had finished the tick, she joined her 
family and helped finish the mattress, which consisted of ten yards of heavy 
grade ticking and fifty pounds of lint cotton. Each mattress when com¬ 
pleted was inspected by a government representative. 


114 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


“Happy were the days spent at the mattress center.” 1 Rural families 
enjoyed the contacts with new and old friends and appreciated the oppor¬ 
tunity of getting new mattresses and altering the old ones. 

Farm women advanced in other ways. Mrs. E. J. McCrary was presi¬ 
dent of the executive board of Tift County Farm Women’s Market. She 
was president of Innis Home Demonstration Council in 1940-1941. “The 
curb market has been our living,.” Mrs. McCrary declared, “for the past 
six months. Practically all our bills are met with the money which I 
receive from sales at the curb market.” 

An important achievement for the whole county in 1941 was the com¬ 
pletion of the Tift County Hospital. The dedication on February 13, was 
very impressive. Dr. F. O. Mixon gave the invocation and A. B. Phillips, 
Tift County Commissioner, was master of ceremonies. The Tifton Gazette 
described the dedication: 

“Mrs. E. L. Evans, president of the Tift County Medal Auxiliary, 
Colin Malcolm, Tift County Commissioner, and Dr. W. H. Hendricks, 
dean of medical profession in Tift County were introduced and spoke a 
few words. Acknowledgment and appreciation for donations and equip¬ 
ment were made to several Tifton citizens. 

“Mrs. Beulah Harrell, superintendent of the hospital, introduced Mrs. 
Jewell White Thrasher, representing the Georgia Association and National 
Hospital Association. 

“Dr. Tom Little, president of Tift County Medical Association, intro¬ 
duced Dr. J. C. Fisher, who spoke on the operation of small hospitals.” 

An interesting part of the dedication was the assembling at the hospital 
of all people whom Dr. N. Peterson had ushered into the world. The 
“Peterson babies” inspected the nursery department, which the hospital 
committee dedicated to Dr. Peterson. 

Rooms were also dedicated to Dr. V. F. Dinsmore, Dr. G. W. Julian, 
and Dr. J. A. McRae. One member from each family Dr. Dinsmore had 
attended was extended an invitation to register in his memory book. 

The handsome $50,000 one-story brick building, standing on Tift Ave¬ 
nue and facing Fulwood Park, accommodates thirty-nine beds. There are 
various kinds of rooms: four waiting rooms, rooms for superintendent of 
nurses, dressing rooms for doctors and nurses, delivery room, diet kitchen, 
operating room, nurses’ stations, emergency rooms, X-ray room, colored 
ward, laboratory, utility room, kitchen and pantry, lecture and dining 
rooms, isolation ward, and white patients’ rooms. The building has a mod¬ 
ern system of lighting, plumbing, and steam heating. 

Another dedication ceremony was held at Memorial Chapel in Wood- 
lawn for J. G. Herring. 

People walked, rode bicycles, and went in cars to the dedications. The 


1. Tifton Gazette. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


115 


evolution of transportation was presented on the streets every day. On ac¬ 
count of the tire and gas rationing, bicycles and buggies revived. Women, 
men, boys, and girls rode on wheels. Transportation of the nineties re¬ 
turned in 1941. There were, however, no bicycles built for two, but old 
Dobbin again had a conspicuous place. 

“Gay nineties” returned again in celebrations: Mr. and Mrs. G. L. 
Blalock observed their golden wedding anniversary; Mrs. Nellie Swift 
celebrated their golden wedding anniversary; Mrs. J. A. Whaley, her 
ninetieth birthday; W. M. Baker, eighty-second; Mrs. C. E. Walters, 
eightieth. 

Several civilians were honored in other ways besides celebrations. Jessie 
Morgan, Route 6, Tifton, was honored on the Home Folks Program, 
broadcast over WSB. The comment from the announcer was: “Jessie is 
one of the safe drivers of Georgia. She won her title in a recent state-wide 
contest and will go to Detroit soon to represent this state in the national 
safe driving finale.” She won honors also in the national contest. 

Mrs. N. Peterson was appointed N.Y.A. supervisor for boys and girls 
in Tift County. Mrs. Rose Hooks, co-author of a novel, attended the 
authors’ colony in Asheville and autographed her book, published at 
Brown’s bookstore in that city. 

The following story by Mrs. Elizabeth Pickard Karsten appeared in 
Macon Telegraph, August 6, 1941: 

“Mrs. Rose Corley Hooks, and her daughter, Miss Flora Hooks, both 
of Tift County, are co-authors of a novel, “Leila Inherits Adventure,” 
published by Dorrance and Company of Philadelphia, and just ofP the 
press. 

“The book is written as though the authors enjoyed writing it; and 
certainly people will enjoy reading it, for it is highly entertaining. Without 
attempting to confine itself to usual events, the authors sustain the illusion 
of verity and have produced an adventure story with a happy ending. 

“Both of the authors are living on a Tift County farm where they have 
been at work on the book over a period of about five years. The mother 
wrote the plot of the story and worked it out. The daughter, who is a 
teacher in the Excelsior School, did much of the editing . . . 

“Mrs. Hooks, a widow, has made her home in Tift County since she 
was thirteen years old. She is a native of South Carolina, born at Lexing¬ 
ton, daughter of the late Izell and Emmoline Taylor Corley. Besides her 
author daughter, Mrs. Hooks has another child, a son, James Hooks, in 
the air corps, at Key West. Miss Hooks is a native of Tift County.” 

Dean George P. Donaldson, of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural Col¬ 
lege, was one of the outstanding Georgians, awarded honorary Georgia 
Planters degrees at the State Future Farmers of America Convention 
held in Macon. 


116 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


In behalf of the family of the late Dr. John Arch McCrea, pioneer 
citizen and physician, his daughter Mrs. R. C. Balfour, of Thomasville, 
made a gift of one thousand dollars in equipment to the Tift County Hos¬ 
pital, as a memorial to Dr. McCrea. 

Miss Christabel Kennedy, daughter of Mrs. J. C. Kennedy, of Tifton, 
Senator Walter George’s secretary, became the first woman to direct the 
clerical staff of the Senate staff of the Senate Finance Committee. 

County Agent C. B. Culpepper was awarded a certificate of distinguish¬ 
ed service by the National Association of County Agriculture Agents for 
long, efficient services to the agricultural industry. On account of the fact 
that Mr. Culpepper could not attend the national convention in Chicago, 
Mr. J. K. Luck, president of the state county agents association, presented 
the certificate. 

Pickett Harris, ten-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. P. T. Harris, an out¬ 
standing patrol boy, won a trip to Washington, District of Columbia. 

Nature’s distinctive contribution to 1941 in Tifton was the Aurora 
Borealis or Northern light, which citizens saw in September. Someone 
inquired about the new neon light. 

One of the improvements in the city was the Georgia Power Company’s 
110,000 volt line from Tifton to Jasper, Florida. 

On Sunday, December the seventh, as people sat listening to their radios, 
the most significant message of years vibrated—the dastardly attack of 
Japan on Pearl Harbor while her representatives were in the United 
States pretending to be effecting peace. The days that followed were 
gloomy. Japan for months was victorious while our country was preparing. 
True Americans, however, prophesied that one day light would pierce 
the gloom. 

On December eleventh Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, notified Mrs. 
Jennie Mae Anderson, of Omega, that her son, Garland C. Anderson, was 
killed in action in defense of his country at Hickman Field, Territory of 
Hawaii, on December the seventh. Mr. Anderson was the first Tift 
County casualty. He was with the radio department of the Air Corps and 
had been in service several months. 

Tift County’s second casualty was Theodore Wheeler Croft, of Omega. 
He was the son of Mrs. Henry S. Brooks, wife of the chief of police of 
Omega. 

The chief celebration of 1941 was on December 15, the sesquicentennial 
of the American Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitu¬ 
tion of the United States of America. This celebration was especially 
significant because our war with the Axis nations was to preserve individual 
liberty. 

Blackouts, which began in 1941, were more numerous in 1942. Often 
the signal directed people in a huddle in one room of a house, where heavy 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


117 


black drapery kept out every speck of light from shining through win¬ 
dows. Here the experience appeared so real that people sometimes whisper¬ 
ed while waiting for the all-clear siren. Policemen would call on people 
who did not cooperate. 

Knitting sweaters was as popular as it was during World War I. Stu¬ 
dents in the different schools continued knitting. Women met regularly in 
the Red Cross Rooms to make bandages and other things to send to our 
soldiers. 

Practices for air raids were frequent in the schools. School principals 
or superintendents used police sirens for air raid alarms and the all clear 
signals. At the grammar school all of the children on the top floor came 
to the hall on main floor, and children in rooms on main floor hid under 
desks. At the junior high all children marched into the hallway and sat 
down. Students at the high school gathered on second floor hall and rooms. 

Tifton schools sponsored scrap drives and collected enormous piles of tin 
cans, iron, and rubber. The Tift Theater had a rubber matinee, which 
netted six hundred fifty pounds of scrap rubber for Uncle Sam. 

Citizens took first aid courses at Red Cross rooms and students received 
instructions at the high school. Tifton went over the top in bond rallies 
and Red Cross war relief campaign. 

Nineteen-forty-two recorded birthday celebrations: Mr. J. T. Pitts 
celebrated his eighty-first birthday; Mrs. J. J. Baker, her eightieth; 
Twentieth Century Library, its thirty-seventh anniversary. Mrs. J. W. 
(Granny) Poole celebrated her eighty-fourth birthday on December 7, 
Pearl Harbor Day. Her only son, Ralph Poole, was wounded in World War 
II. Her two grandsons, Julian Reynolds and Raleigh Smith, and her great- 
grandson, Henry Bostic, were also in service. Mr. and Mrs. T. U. Slay¬ 
ton, Omega, celebrated their golden anniversary. 

Improvements continued in Tifton. The city bought a fire truck of five- 
hundred-gallons capacity. The body had a capacity of 1,200 feet, two-and- 
one-half-inch double jacket. Fire hose and panels were made of heavy 
special body steel. The pump had a capacity of five hundred gallons. The 
new peanut shelling plant at the Southern Cotton Mill was one of the 
most modern in the South. 

Among the people honored, during 1942 was Mrs. T. C. Tidwell, whose 
song, “Mother Eagle’s Lullaby” was accepted by Five Star Music and 
played by Lew Tobin’s orchestra. 

Mary Mason Barkuloo, an accomplished musician, was the first woman 
from Tifton to be sworn in as a member of the Woman’s Army Auxiliary 
Corps. Miss Grace Bohannon was the second Tift County girl accepted 
in the W.A.A.C. 

Tifton was honored in receiving in 1942 a new citizen, Commander 
William Woodward Outerbridge, of the United States Navy. He was 


118 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


decorated with the Navy Cross for distinguished service as commander of 
U. S. S. Ward. 

Commander Outerbridge registered at the Tift County courthouse for 
the first time to vote in the United States. He, the son of Jessie, an Ameri¬ 
can citizen, and William Outerbridge, an Englishman, was born in China, 
April 14, 1906. Young Outerbridge came to America when eight years old 
and entered the fourth grade at Middleport, Ohio. Before coming to 
America he had attended a school in Dover, England. After graduating at 
the preparatory school in Marion, Alabama, he entered the Naval Acad¬ 
emy. 

On December 15, 1928, he married Grace Fulwood, of Tifton, at Wil¬ 
mington, California. Their three sons are Billy, Tommie, and Bob. 

Commander Outerbridge was presented the Navy Cross by Admiral 
Chester W. Nimitz, commander-in-chief of the United Pacific fleet. In 
connection with the Navy Cross, Commander Outerbridge received a cita¬ 
tion signed by Frank Knox, Secretary of the Navy, for the President. 

The incident which was responsible for Commander Outerbridge’s re¬ 
ceiving the Navy Cross was described in the Tifton Gazette: 

“The U. S. S. Ward, of which Mr. Outerbridge was commanding of¬ 
ficer, was on inshore patrol duty three miles out from the entrance to Pearl 
Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. At about 6:40 o’clock the 
officer of the deck sighted some object behind the U. S. S. Antares and at 
first thought it was a buoy, but there were no buoys there and the object 
was seen to move. Commander Outerbridge, who w’as in the Captain’s 
emergency cabin, was notified by the officer that he had sighted a strange 
object that looked like the conning tower of a submarine, and gave the 
order to go to general quarters, which is to man the battle stations, and 
the general alarm was sounded. 

“Commander Outerbridge then gave the order to fire and the first shot 
was fired by number 1 gun, but the shell went over the sub. The second 
shot was fired by number 3 gun from 50 yards or less and the shell struck 
the sub at the waterline, which was the junction of the hull and conning 
tower. The damage was seen by several men of the crew and the hit was 
square and positive, with no evidence that the projectile ricocheted. The 
projectile was seen to explode and the sub heeled over to the starboard and 
sank. The Ward then rushed across the course of the sub and dropped 
depth bombs. The sub, which was of the midget Japanese type, just settled 
to the bottom and did not explode. The Ward was not fired upon by either 
the sub it sank or by the two others contacted by the sound device.” 

The Ward fired at 6:40, in the morning, an hour and ten minutes be¬ 
fore the attack on Pearl Harbor. Commander Outerbridge has the dis¬ 
tinction of firing the first effective shots in the war between the United 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


119 


States and Japan. The number 3 gun of the Ward has received an honor 
plaque. 

While Outerbridge was serving on U. S. S. California after his gradua¬ 
tion at Annapolis, the boys on the ship presented him with a bronze, minia¬ 
ture light house, sixteen inches tall, thirty-two inches at the base, and eight 
inches near the tower. Outerbridge treasured the little bronze house as if 
it had been a talisman, but when the call came for him to go overseas he 
left the light house with his brother-in-law’s wife, Mrs. Paul Fulwood, Sr. 

On D Day at three o’clock when the whistle sounded in Tifton Mrs. 
Fulwood lighted the little house with electricity. Exactly at the moment 
President Truman was announcing Germany’s unconditional surrender the 
topmost light went out. The lower light, where the watchman should stay, 
still burning welcomed Captain Outerbridge to his home, Tifton, where 
he addressed the American Legion on Pearl Harbor Day in 1945. 

The Tifton Gazette in 1942 honored couples who had been married 
the longest. Mr. and Mrs. Funderburke married sixty-one years, won first 
prize in the longest marriage contest, a year’s subscription for the Gazette; 
Mr. and Mrs. T. A. Hardy, Omega, married fifty-eight years, second 
prize; Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Davis, Tifton, married fifty-six years, third 
prize, three months subscription. Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Whiddon, married 
fifty-four years, Judge and Mrs. J. H. White, fifty years, Mr. and Mrs. 
J. D. Parkerson, forty-five years, and Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Willis, forty- 
three years, received honorable mention. 

These celebrations, although relieving the strain to a certain extent, 
could not get people’s minds off the war; for there were constant remind¬ 
ers. President Roosevelt set April 27, 1942 for registration day for all 
men between forty-five and sixty-five years old. 

A little humor, however, was sprinkled in the seriousness of the situa¬ 
tion, when Irvin S. Cobb, famous humorist, was a visitor to Tifton for a 
few hours in July, 1942.. “He stopped off here en route from a South 
American trip to Hollywood for the purpose of some work that has just 
been completed by Mrs. Mary Duff Arnold for Mrs. Clayton Sedgewick 
Cooper, to be placed in the Museum of Natural History in New York and 
in some other museums to be selected.” (Tifton Gazette.) 

By December, 1942, there was so much news about Tift County boys 
and girls in services that we could not even mention all the facts. Ed 
Tyson, a former T. H. S. student and star football player, however, had 
such an unusual experience that a reference is befitting here. He was on 
the Joseph Hewes transport when the Japanese torpedoed and sank it off 
the coast of Africa. After floating for hours on a life raft he was rescued. 
Upon his return to the States in December, he told interesting stories about 
his experience among the Arabs. 


120 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Tift County had three young men on the aircraft Wasp, torpedoed by 
the Japs: Marvin Lester McGill, son of John McGill; Everett Ham¬ 
mock, Omega; and electrician Talmadge May, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. 
W. May, Route 2, Tifton. Talmadge was lost, but the other two boys 
were rescued. 

The story of the Wasp according to John Everett Hammock was pub¬ 
lished in the Tifton Gazette: 

“The Wasp with a task force was in the Coral Sea off the Solomon’s 
Islands on September 15, watching for a Jap fleet that was attempting to 
land forces in the Solomons. The ship’s crew had been at general quarters 
(battle stations) that morning and at 10:30 o’clock were secured from 
general quarters (called off battle stations). Some planes from the carrier 
had been in the air and come in and landed at 2:10. It was around 2:30 in 
the afternoon when the first torpedo struck the Wasp. Just a few minutes 
before the torpedo struck, seventeen planes took off from the Wasp and 
were circling the ship when the torpedo struck. 

“Hammock was in his compartment when the first torpedo struck. Im¬ 
mediately the men assumed their battle stations. Hammock’s station was in 
the radio room . . . Three torpedoes struck the Wasp . . . Hammock went 
up on flight deck, which was listing as one side of the carrier was filling 
with water. 

“The explosions from the fuel and ammmunition stores were terrific. 
Flames were everywhere. Men grabbed water hose and fought like mad 
to control the fire on the ship . . . 

“Men fought hours before receiving orders to abandon ship. Some of 
the men had life rafts, some jumped into the sea with life jackets on, and 
some did not have on life jackets. Some were partially dressed, some in 
underwear, and some with no clothes. 

“Hammock, in underwear, jumped overboard and for thirty minutes 
swam with no life jacket on until a fellow with two jackets gave him one. 
Hammock with 720 others was picked up by a destroyer. He was on the 
destroyer two days before reaching New Caledonia.” 

McGill said the Wasp was one of the cleanest and best ships that ever 
sailed on the ocean. To him it was just like home. He preferred the air¬ 
craft carrier to any in the navy. The first English Spitfire plane that landed 
on any aircraft deck landed on the flight deck of the Wasp. 

McGill was in his living compartment when the Wasp was first hit. 
Hearing the first two torpedoes hit, he grabbed his shirt and started for 
his battle station on the signal bridge. When the third earthquake torpedo 
hit, it knocked down everyone who was standing. When he reached the 
signal bridge, the explosions were deafening. McGill was almost stiffled 
and his hair was singed. After leaving the battle station he went to the 
stern of the flight deck and began pushing off planes that had crashed in 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


121 


the explosion. He witnessed horrible sights before abandoning the ship. 
McGill shed tears as he saw the ship burn, for it had been his home. He 
and others in rubber life rafts were desolate as they paddled away from the 
burning ship. 

After three hours on water he was picked up by a motor whale boat. 
Salt water and oil made him deathly sick. Finally he was transferred from 
a whale boat to a destroyer and returned to the States on a transport. He 
landed in San Diego, California. 

Nineteen-forty-three began with a time confusion in Tifton. The town 
changed from eastern war time to central war time, then in a few days 
returned to eastern war time. 

The war theme continued with little hope of a change to peace. During 
February the Tifton schoo’s collected clothes for the unfortunate Russians 
whom the German army had left desolate. 

M rs. Ellen Forrester Dyal, of Tifton, was commissioned ensign in the 
United States Naval Reserve and assigned to active duty, May 4. Sara 
Roan Coan received her commission as second lieutenant in the Women 
Reserve of the United States Marines. Coan was the first Woman’s Auxili¬ 
ary of the Marines to receive a commission. 

Five of the schools of Tift County received jeep citations for participa¬ 
tion in the May school-at-war bond campaign: Omega, Harding, Chula, 
Emanuel, and Ty Ty. 

The fighter-plane that the Tift County school superintendents had the 
pleasure of naming on account of oversubscribing to the war bond quota 
was named Christabel Tift County for Miss Christabel Kennedy, Senator 
Walter George’s secretary, who helped secure the Tifton air base for her 
home town, Tifton. The Tift County in the name indicates that Tift 
Countians oversubscribed the bonds. 

Carolyn Barkuloo was the first eighteen-year-old in Georgia to register 
under the new law, which allowed eighteen-year-old boys and girls to vote. 

Nineteen-forty-four was gloomy with war news. Many of Tift County’s 
best young men were killed in action. There were, however, a few gleams 
that pierced the darkness. Walter B. Leverette, Jr., Route 2, was one of 
twenty Georgians, Future Farmers of America honored in Atlanta. At the 
Macon Convention in 1938 he received an award, the Georgia Planters’ 
degree. 

A daughter of Tifton, Mrs. Robert Heinsohn, now of Thomasville re¬ 
ceived an inquiry about her biography to be included in “Who’s Who of 
America.” 

As a respite from war, Tifton took time to rejoice over the achievements 
of Major Henry T. Myers, who piloted a C-54 army transport plane on 
the first non-stop flight from London to Washington (see chapter on 
pioneers for details), and of Dr. S. A. Martin, who wrote a history of 


122 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Florida. In connection with Florida’s centennial celebration Dr. Mar¬ 
tin’s history, “Florida During Territorial Days” was published by the 
Georgia University Press. 

The Tifton Gazette commented about the history: “The thoroughness 
and attractiveness of Dr. Martin’s centennial study have been highly 
praised by distinguished historians.” 

Sidney Walter Martin, son of Mr. and Mrs. S. A. Martin, was born 
in Tift County, Georgia. He attended public schools of Tifton and gradu¬ 
ated from high school in 1929. His undergraduate courses were completed 
at Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina, where he was gradu¬ 
ated cum laude in class of 1932. From 1932-1934 he was instructor at 
Palatka (Florida) High School. 

After studying in the graduate school in the University of Georgia, Mar¬ 
tin received the master’s degree, with history as a major, in 1935. He was 
then made instructor of history at the University of Georgia; in 1939 he 
was elected assistant professor, and in 1944, promoted to an assistant 
professorship. He was granted a leave of absence in 1938-39 and in 1941- 
42 to do graduate work at the University of North Carolina. Martin re¬ 
ceived the Ph.D. at this institution in 1942. 

Besides his history of Florida he has contributed to the American His¬ 
torical Review, Journal of Southern History, Georgia Historical Quar¬ 
terly, and the Florida Historical Quarterly. He is now writing a biography 
of Henry M. Flagler, associate with John D. Rockefeller in the Standard 
Oil Company and builder of the Florida East Coast Railroad. 

From 1943 to 1945 Martin was acting head of the history department 
at the University of Georgia, and in 1945 was assistant dean of faculties, 
a position which he now holds along with his teaching duties. 

He is active in civic and religious affairs in Athens, being a member of 
the Kiwanis Club and the First Methodist Church of that city. He is a 
member of the Southern Historical Association. 

His wife is the former Clare Phillips of Palatka, Florida. Their only 
child, Ellen Claire Martin, was born in 1942. 

The climax of 1944 was D Day on the sixth of June—the invasion of 
Germany. A long time before this event all the Tifton churches were open 
for people to visit and pray for peace. At three o’clock in the morning the 
siren in Tifton brought hundreds of people bounding from their beds to 
pray. 

Nineteen-forty-five, one of the momentous years in the history of the 
world, gave us V E Day, May 8, Germany’s surrender, August 10, Japan’s 
surrender, and V J Day, August 31, the date of the signing of the final 
surrender document aboard the Battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. 

Different types of events came swiftly. The Memorial Recreation Corm 
mittee of the Tift County Chamber of Commerce, J. E. Newton, Mrs. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


123 


F. H. Corry, Mrs. J. J. Clyatt, Judge R. Eve, J. G. Jolley, Joseph Kent, 
and J. E. Waldrop met with Charles M. Groves, recreation represent¬ 
ative of the Federal Security Agency to discuss plans for the proposed 
$150,000 recreation center in memory of veterans of World War I and 
World War II. 

The Tifton Playground and Recreationg Board, named by the Tifton 
City commission, elected Judge Eve, president; Dr. L. O. Shaw, secretary, 
and J. E. Newton, treasurer. Other members were A. C. Tift and J. E. 
Waldrop. 

Another bright spot in the war gloom was the experience of Lieutenant 
Colonel Henry T. Myers, son of Mrs. and the late Mr. I. W, Myers. 
Lieutenant Colonel Myers flew President Roosevelt from Malta Island, 
in the Mediterranean, to the Crimea for his conference with Marshal 
Stalin and Prime Minister Churchill and later flew the President back to 
Egypt. 

Progress continued in Tifton during 1944. The town established itself 
as a bee center and shipped twenty-five tons of bees to different points. A 
modern cannery shop was opened. Trucks, wagons, and cars filled with 
corn and lined up on both sides of the street near the modern plant of 
Phillips Milling Company on Second Street reminded people of the old 
days during cotton ginning season. 

Another conspicuous sign of progress was the success of the bookmobile, 
which visited eight county schools once every four weeks, besides visiting 
homes in rural districts. 

Mrs. E. G. Thornhill, librarian, circulated between thirteen hundred 
and fourteen hundred books over the county. She left Tifton about nine 
o’clock in the morning. Young and old eagerly awaited the sound of the 
bookmobile and rushed to get books as soon as it parked. Its success was due 
to the cooperation of Tift County Board of Education, county commis¬ 
sioners, school superintendents, teachers, children, and the librarian. 

The horrors of war continued, but occasionally a gleam of light broke 
through the dark clouds. On March 25, 1945, Leon Swindell, who had 
been in a Japanese prison, arrived in Tifton. The Tifton High School and 
Spence Field bands met him at the train and paraded to the courthouse 
where the town gave Swindell a welcome. 

S. B. Lassiter, chairman of Tift County Red Cross Chapter acted as 
master of ceremonies, and the Reverend Davis Sanders gave the invoca¬ 
tion. After the introduction of Sergeant Swindell to the crowd, the Spence 
Band played “God Bless America.” 

Dean G. P. Donaldson welcomed Sergeant Swindell; Mrs. H. B. Dur¬ 
ham presented flowers, A. E. Danielson presented to Swindell a chest of 
silver from Tifton citizens. The meeting closed with “The Star Spangled 
Banner/' 


124 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Swindell, who was in the army before the war started, flew to the 
Pacific when General Douglas MacArthur called for technical men. While 
sitting in a barracks at Nichols Field, Sergeant Swindell, an experienced 
radio man, listened on December 7, 1941 to the news about Pearl Harbor 
disaster. He was taken prisoner the following April. 

On January 30, 1945, he was among the Americans rescued by Rangers 
from the camp at Cabanatum; while at this prison he lost forty pounds on 
account of the starvation diet and tropical diseases. 

The return of Swindell and good news about some of our boys who had 
been missing in action cheered the hearts of Tifton people. On April 12, 
however, a cloud of sorrow hung over the nation—President Roosevelt 
was dead! The White House announced that Franklin Delano Roosevelt 
suddenly died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Warm Springs. The announce¬ 
ment was made by Commander Howard Bruenn, naval physician, who 
described the President’s last hours: “At one o’clock this afternoon he was 
sitting in a chair while sketches were being made by an artist. He suddenly 
complained of a very severe headache. Within a few moments he lost con¬ 
sciousness and died at 4:35 p.m.” 

Memorial services were held by different organizations in Tifton. The 
Tifton High School in a special chapel program paid tribute to Roosevelt 
and later the high school annual, the Talisman, which the staff had already 
dedicated to the President, published the tribute. 

Harry S. Truman, vice-president, was sworn in as President of the 
United States at 7:09 P.M. eastern war time. 

The death of Roosevelt was “like the falling of an empire,” 2 but the 
nation went forward with plans for victory, and on May 8, President Tru¬ 
man announced the surrender of Germany. Mother’s Day was set aside 
as a day of prayer, and union Thanksgiving services were held at the First 
Baptist Church in Tifton. 

People were thankful for the surrender of Germany, but they knew the 
war was not over and that our boys had a tremendous task in conquering 
the Japanese. Before the final surrender of Japan the main celebration was 
on Flag Day, June 14, 1945, the one hundred-sixty-eighth anniversary of 
the day on 1777 our American Congress officially adopted the Stars and 
Stripes as the flag of the United States. President Wilson first proclaimed 
Flag Day in 1916. 

The day of all days was August 14—the event of all secular events— 
the surrender of Japan! Tifton had its noisest, biggest, and safest celebra¬ 
tion after President Truman announced Japan’s acceptance of the sur¬ 
render ultimatum. As soon as the news flashed, people rushed to the streets 
and screamed. Then they rode, yelled, blew horns and beat tin pans until 

2. Description of Swift’s death in Thackeray’s “English Humorists of the Eighteenth 
Century.” 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


125 


early in the morning. 

Other events of 1945, though important, were insignificant in compari¬ 
son with Japan’s surrender. Two hundred German prisoners of war were 
received at the camp located at the Tifton Air Base. The camp here in 
command of Major Henry A. Florence was designated as Peanut Camp. 
Tift County voters favored the revision of the Constitution of Georgia 
(1877). Tifton High School’s selling three thousand dollars worth of 
victory bonds and stamps entitled it to have a unit in some veterans’ hos¬ 
pital in the United States named for the school. Mr. and Mrs. W. G. 
Woody celebrated their golden wedding. A. E. Amos C. Fennell, who died 
in February, would have reached the century mark had he lived until May 
10, 1945. A. E. Danielson, general manager of Armour and Company at 
Tifton for nine years, retired after forty-two years of service with the 
company. 

Rationing was cancelled to a certain extent after the surrender of Japan. 
Gas, tires, kerosene, butter, grease of all kinds, canned goods, fruit juices, 
and sugar had been rationed. Four ration books had been issued. No one 
had ever dreamed that lowly grease would one day ascend the ladder of 
fame, but a wad of grease, during the forties, more precious than a nugget 
of gold, reached the top round. People watched for trucks bringing groceries 
to some of the stores and rushed in a stampede to be first in the grease 
lines. During sales of scarcities clerks and customers were near exapsera- 
tion. Only the rationing of sugar continued after the surrender. 

Within a few months after the surrender of Japan, some of our boys 
returned. Then eventually other survivors came home. Tift County values 
the services of its boys from the most humble private to the officers of 
highest ranks. Since, however, a volume would be necessary for a full 
account of decorations, achievements, and bravery, we have details about 
only those who lost their lives. 


CHAPTER XV 

POST-WAR EVENTS—ATOMIC ERA 

Nineteen-forty-six did not record events as important as those of 1945, 
but a great era—the atomic age—which began during the last days of the 
war, was in 1946 the theme of discussions among young and old. Radios, 
newspapers, and magazines debated about whether the United States 
should give to Russia the secret of the atomic bomb. How to win the 
peace—how to make atomic energy subserve and not master mankind— 
were some of the grave problems. 

Unconscious of the great era, however, little Charles Randall Clifton, 
son of Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Clifton, Route 5, was the first baby to appear 
in Tift County in 1946. 

Among the problems for Tifton in 1946 were improvements of schools. 
Mrs. O. V. Barkuloo was appointed chairman of a fact finding committee 
to survey the school problems. The investigation resulted in improvements 
in the grammar school, which especially needed them. The city had al¬ 
ready spent $27,000 on the high school auditorium. 

As far as we know, Tifton was the first town to ship gladioli bulbs by 
air. A C-47 twin-engine cargo plane carried them to New York. They were 
shipped by Byles Brothers, of Valdosta, and the Nick Peete Company, Ty 
Ty, to two firms in New York. 

“The shipment launched the overnight contract freight services out of 
Tifton to Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. 
The freight service is handled by the United States Air Lines, Inc., St. 
Petersburg.” (Tifton Gazette.) 

The tomato plant and shipping in Tift County reached a high point in 
1946. 

The main organization of the year was the Tift County Historical 
Society. An account of the charter of this society was published in the 
Tifton Gazette: 

“Charter was granted in Tift Superior Court, June 6, to the Tift County 
Historical Society, Inc., for a period of thirty-five years, the petitioners 
being a group of Tifton and Tift County citizens and a few others, former 
citizens of the county, who are interested in the purposes of the county. 

“According to the charter provisions the society is to have no capital 
stock and is not organized for pecuniary gain or profit but for the purpose 
of publication and distribution of a history of Tifton and Tift County. 

“It is the plan and purpose of the society to continue the compilation of 
historical information and from time to time to publish such volume or 
volumes as may be necessary to preserve a complete and accurate record 
of Tifton and Tift County. 


126 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


127 


“The society has as one of its plans and purposes the ultimate donation 
of copies of publications to each school and public library in the state. Its 
purpose and plan of society and its members to originate, plan, and partici¬ 
pate in movements for the betterment of the community through the pro¬ 
motion of its educational, cultural, and moral interest. It is an agreed plan 
and purpose of the society to seek out children with talents, musical, artis¬ 
tic, and inventive. 

“In re: The Tift County Historical Socieyt, Inc., Petition to incorporate 
in Tift Superior Court. 

“The foregoing petition of C. A. Baker, Joseph Kent, George W. 
Branch, J. L. Williams, Robert Herring, B. H. McLeod, E. L. Webb, 
L. E. Bowen, R. D. Smith, S. F. Mitchell, O. V. Barkuloo, W. Jelks 
Warren, C. L. Carter, John T. Ferguson, T. W. Tift, E. D. Gibbs, Lott 
Whiddon, S’. A. Youmans, Harry Hornebuckle, A. B. Phillips, Mrs. N. 
Peterson, Mrs. Susie T. Moore, Mrs. Ruth Vickers Fulwood, Mrs. 
Briggs Carson, Sr., Mrs. Pearl Willingham Myers, Mrs. Martha Wil¬ 
liams, Mrs. Ralph H. Tift Jones, Miss Ida Belle Williams, Mrs. Ralph H. 
Johnson, Mrs. Elizabeth P. Karsten, Mrs. Robert A. Heinsohn, Mrs. 
Robert Balfour, Mrs. Hazel B. Mitchell, Mrs. J. E. Newton, and Mrs. 
Agnew Andrews to be incorporated under the name of Tift County His¬ 
torical Society, Inc., read and considered. It appearing that said petition 
is within the purview and intention of the laws applicable thereto, and 
that all of said laws have been fully complied with, including the presenta¬ 
tion of a certificate from the Secretary of State as required by Paragraph 
22, 1803 of the Code of Georgia annotated: 

“It is hereby ordered, adjudged, and decreed that all the prayers of said 
petition are granted and said applicants and their associates, successors, 
and assigns are hereby incorporated and made a body politic under the 
name and style of Tift County Historical Society, Inc., for and during the 
period of thirty-five years, with the privilege of renewal at the expiration 
of that time according to the laws of Georgia and that said corporation is 
hereby granted and vested with all the rights and privileges mentioned in 
said petition. 

“Granted at Chambers this 6th day of June, 1946. 

“R. Eve, Judge 
“Tift Superior Court.” 

Besides this organization, there were other additions to the city in 
1946, the new Austin-Weston pick-up and street sweeper and the Dixie 
airways. The street sweeper the first that Tifton ever had, not only swept 
the streets and gutters, but picked up the trash. The machine, operated 
by one man, was gasoline powered. 

The Dixie Airways, which opened at the Tifton municipal airport gave 


128 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


to Tifton and the surrounding territory a complete flying service air with 
the larger trading centers. The organization was composed of H. A. Horne- 
buckle, S'. M. Phillips, and C. A. Randerson. The initial flight service 
on July 4 was from Tifton to Atlanta within an hour. On the return trip 
the plane left Atlanta at 5:30 p.m. and arrived in Tifton at 6:30 p.m. 

There was a school for students, which is still in operation and airplanes 
for rental to rated pilots for cross country travel. 

G. K. Loftin, owner of Tifton Bus Lines, began operation of bus serv¬ 
ice in Tifton in June, 1946. The service included Unionville, Phillipsburg, 
cotton mill, Armour and Company, and the city residential section. 

Other material improvements were the loan of $460,000 from the 
Rural Electrification Administration to the Colquitt Electric Company, 
which operates in Colquitt and adjoining counties including Tift, and the 
$25,000 set aside by Governor Arnall for improvements at the Tifton 
State Farmers’ Market. The Tifton Board of Education and the State 
Department of Education, offered an education course for veterans, who 
are engaged in the on-the-job training program. During March thirty-two 
building permits, amounted to $96,000. 

During the progress citizens rejoiced to see our boys icturning from the 
battlefield. The boys who lost their lives were not forgotten. Beautiful Ful- 
wood Park was the appropriate setting for memorial services held on Sun¬ 
day afternoon in June, honoring the forty-one young men of Tift County 
who made the supreme sacrifice in World War II. 

Tift County Post No. 21 American Legion, under command of J. G. 
Whigham, had charge. T. H. S. band under direction of Lastinger, gave 
several numbers before the service began and played “The Star Spangled 
Banner” for the presentation of the Flag. Mr. Ray Shirley gave the in¬ 
vocation. 

Commander Whigham and Mrs. E. U. Holder, president of the Legion 
Auxiliary, told of the purpose of the services and Commander Whigham 
introduced the speaker, the Reverend R. C. Grisham, pastor of First Bap¬ 
tist Church, Moultrie. 

The Gold Star citations, with the American Legion emblem, were de¬ 
livered by Raymond Brooks to the mothers or the next of kin of the dead 
heroes. One mother, Mrs. Henry S’. Brooks, is twice a Gold Star Mother. 

After a three-volley salute by a firing squad, Mr. Len Lastinger, and 
Dean George P. Donaldson, of Baldwin College, led the people in sing¬ 
ing, “God Bless America.” Mrs. Gresham pronounced the benediction. As 
the name of each soldier was called, a flower was placed in his memory on 
a cross in front of the audience. After the services the decorated cross was 
placed on the grave of J. P. Adams. 

The names of Tift countians who died during the recent war are: Gar¬ 
land C. Anderson, Theodore W. Croft, Silas B. Brooks, Samuel W. Spil- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


129 


lers, Durwood Lee Willis, Cletes J. Watson, Tom H. Rooks, Charles W. 
Matthews, Albert J. Mullis, Wyman D. Martin, Robert B. Powledge, 
George M. Sutton, Alva McLeon Woodal, Elton J. Aultman, W. A. 
Kelley, Jr., Ralph Gibbs, Benjamin McIntosh, Frederick E. Sears, Eu¬ 
gene Hobby, Paul Johnson, Cecil H. Willis, George C. Johnson, Clyde 
F. Lavender, Tilton Belflower, Winford Evans, John Dowdy, Ollie Gibbs, 
Talmadge May, Horace Goff, Charles E. Patton, Francis A. Cooper, 
Murren Arrel Barbee, Jesse Penn Adams, Heyward W. Whiddon, Rus¬ 
sell Leonard Garner, Edward Carl Cromer, Sidney Neighbors, Curtis 
Matthews, Reuben Funderburke; colored, Robert Lee Board, Jr., and 
Joseph Alvan McKinney. 

Longevity during 1946 was represented by Mrs. Elizabeth Whaley, who 
on April 11, celebrated her ninety-fifth birthday. Her hearing is still good, 
but her eyesight is poor. She is very active for her age. Mrs. Whaley still 
goes to the table three times a day for her meals, cleans up her room, does 
other chores, and answers the telephone. She attributes her longevity and 
good health to hard work, which she began during the War Between the 
States, and to her regard for the laws of nature. 

Mrs. Whaley, a daughter of Madison and Trecia Burch Gaughf of 
Laurens County, was born on April 11, 1851. Mrs. Whaley, married in 
1881 James Whaley, who fought in The War Between the States, under 
command of Robert E. Lee. Mr. Whaley was wounded when his horse 
on which he rode was shot and killed. Mr. Whaley died in 1924. 

She and her husband moved to Tift County the year they married. Mrs. 
Whaley when a young girl was a member of the Red Oak Methodist 
Church and is now a member of the Omega Church. She is also a mem¬ 
ber of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. One of her sons died in 
1924 ; the other, whom she stays with, lives in Tifton. She has ten grand¬ 
children and four great-grandchildren. 

Miscellaneous happenings of 1946 were: 

Marian Aultman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Aultman, of Tift 
County, left for Tokyo, Japan, in July. She was one of the first civilian 
workers with the United States occupation forces in that country. 

The Tifton Lions Club placed new lights and wires in Fulwood Park. 
Lion Joe Kent at the request of the Tifton Garden Club placed the new 
lights. An automatic switch turns the lights on every night at seven o’clock, 
and they remain until eleven. 

Order was placed for one hundred white concrete posts, costing six 
hundred dollars, for street markers in the city. 

The new four-room annex to the Annie B. Clark Grammar School was 
completed in December. Fluorescent lights and a new automatic coal 
stoker, which heated new and old buildings, added much to the comfort 
of the faculty and students. 


130 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


A five-man board was appointed to control the affairs of the Tift County 
Hospital: C. R. Choate, Ralph Puckett, and A. R. Corry, of Tifton; M. 
H. Evans, of Ty Ty; and W. R. Ponder, of Omega. 

On September 19, 1946 grape production for Tift County was planned. 
E. L. Love, of Moultrie, was in Tifton for ten days in connection with the 
South Georgia Grape Growers Association. 

Two of the most important events in 1946 were the opening of the Tif¬ 
ton Frozen Food Market and the Shriners’ Convention. The market 
opened on September 23. The handsome building, located at the corner of 
Second Street and North Central Avenue is one of the best of its kind in 
this section. The market was erected by Spooner Construction Company of 
Tifton. H. A. Hornebuckle is president of the $200,000 enterprise; J. G. 
Chambliss, vice-president and general manager; and W. S. Weeks, secre¬ 
tary-treasurer. 

A week after the opening of the Frozen Food Market about two thou¬ 
sand Shriners came riding in jeeps, on horseback, and on trains to Tifton. 
About three weeks before, Mr. Allen Johnson, Jr., on behalf of the Tif¬ 
ton Lumber Company, had presented a gold plated key to City . Manager 
Frank Smith. The inscription, “Tifton, Georgia” is on one side of the 
handle, decorated with a wreath; “Compliments of the Tifton Lumber 
Company,” on the other side. 

John C. Helmken, illustrious potentate of Alee Temple, Savannah re¬ 
ceived from City Manager Smith this gold key, which unlocked the hos¬ 
pitable door of Tifton for the Shriners. After the registration of the Nobles 
at the Hotel Myon and at the high school auditorium the Shrine band in 
full regalia gave a concert in front of the Tifton Bank. City police and 
State Patrol cars cleared the way for the parade. Alee Temple band 
marched, followed by the official cars carrying the potentate and officials 
of the Tifton Shriners. 

The Shriners had their fun playing all kinds of jokes on people, but 
exhibited in their float, which presented doctors and nurses in their treat¬ 
ment of crippled children, the main project of the Nobles. 

Another sign of progress was the report of the third bank in Tifton, the 
Citizen’s Bank, which opened on July 1, 1945, with H. D. Hand as presi¬ 
dent and H. P. Sanders as cashier. On June 29, 1940 the statements showed 
deposits of $250,929.48. 

In November, 1946, people in Tifton and in other American towns 
were mentally and physically shivering over the complete shut dowm of 
the nation’s coal mines. No one could buy coal unless he would sign an 
affidavit saying he had enough coal for only a few days. After the District 
Court of the United States made a case against John L. Lewis, he finally 
sent the miners back to work. 

This war period was permeated with terrors and prayers for victory, 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


131 


the master word for the allies. People talked about the letter V, the symbol 
of the allied nations, thought about it, and saw it in various places. The 
letter V actually appeared in the formation of clouds. Reliable Tifton 
people saw it. Mrs. W. I. Lane, of Ty Ty, found a gray and green colored 
spider with a distinct grayish V on his back. Two ears of corn in B. B. 
Tyson’s corn patch grew in the shape of a V. Cane in an almost perfect V 
grew in the patch of Henry Folsom, Route 5, Tifton, Georgia. No one 
can explain such phenomena as these. The V’s, however, might have exist¬ 
ed before without anyone’s observation. 

The Holy Grail of War, the symbol V, was found. Only time can tell 
whether or not the search for the Holy Grail of peace will be in vain. 


CHAPTER XVI 
SMALL TOWNS 
HISTORY OF BRIGHTON 
(by Mrs. Dan Sutton) 

When Brighton community was first formed, it was a part of Irwin 
County. In 1905 it became a part of Tift County. Captain H. H. Tift 
named Brighton for some town near his home at Mystic, Connecticut. 

A man known as one-armed Jim Walker was perhaps the first settler. 
He cleared a rather large tract of land, and today his daughter Jude and 
her boys still live on this farm. Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Walker were 
probably the next settlers to move to this community. Other early settlers 
were Mr. and Mrs. Elbert Fletcher, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McMillan, 
Mr. and Mrs. T. D. Paulk, Mr. and Mrs. Otis Luke, Mr. and Mrs. W. 
L. Conger, the Barton family, the Reason Gibbs family, the John Arnold 
family, and the Jordan Baker family. These are the families who really 
cleared the land and made way for other settlers. 

Captain H. H. Tift built a tramroad from Tifton to Brighton, and with 
Charlie Jenkins as engineer, the train hauled the logs which had been cut 
from the virgin timber, to Tift’s sawmill in Tifton where they were made 
into fine lumber. Log rolling and quilting parties were the order of the 
day. Much of the wood was piled together and burned. 

About 1890, the first railroad was built from Tifton to Pinetta in Irwin 
County, the first engineer also being Charlie Jenkins. Wood was used as 
fuel to run the train, and when fuel gave out, the train was stopped for 
wood to be gathered. The engineer stopped just anywhere for passengers to 
board the train. 

W. W. Lennon brought a large group of negroes from North Carolina 
to turpentine the timber and they, together with negroes from Albany, 
bought lots from Elbert Fletcher and settled what is known as the Brighton 
Negro Colony. Some of these negroes are buried under the Farmers’ 
warehouse in Tifton. These negroes worked for the white pioneers, hoeing, 
share-cropping the farms, washing, ironing, scrubbing, and tending the 
children. They had a great part in the growth and development of both 
Brighton and Harding. Many of them were held in great respect by the 
pioneer families. 

The church was begun in the first schoolhouse which was built about 
1890. J. J. F. Goodman, George Clark, and Joe Mixon were among the 
first preachers. Then the Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church was estab¬ 
lished as an arm of Turner Church, and Elder James Gibbs was the first 
pastor. Today Elder W. F. Mims is the pastor, and the church is a very 
progressive, flourishing church made up principally of the children, grand¬ 
children and great-grandchildren of the pioneers. George M. Fletcher do¬ 
nated the land for the church and the school..Jonathan Walker sawed the 


132 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


133 


lumber and Henry Sutton built the first church and donated the organ to 
the church. 

These men also built the first schoolhouse. Miss Edna Cox, who later 
became Mrs. M. S. Shaw, was the first teacher. Other early teachers were 
Miss Lummie Mann, Arch Shaw, W. B. Hitchcock, and Mrs. Leona 
Yarbrough Sutton. These first teachers boarded around with their pupils, 
and their salaries were meagre. They were real teachers though, and did 
a great work. Brighton School was finally consolidated with Harding 
School and is now known as Harding Consolidated School. 

Mr. Walker had the first cotton gin in the Brighton community. People 
hauled the cotton to the ginhouse in wagons, and emptied it into stalls. 
Then they carried it from the stalls to the gin in large baskets. After the 
cotton was ginned, it was put into the press by hand. When they got a bale 
into the press, they pushed a lever until it was pressed. Today farmers from 
Brighton bring their cotton to Tifton where it is ginned on an electric gin. 

The Brighton post office was established about 1900. Henry Sutton was 
the first postmaster, and Walter Sutton was assistant. Soon after this a 
rural route was established with Will Clark as the first rural carrier. After 
this the post office at Brighton was soon abolished. 

The first store at Brighton was set up by Henry Sutton in his house. 
Later he moved it to the station at Brighton. There is no store at Brighton 
now. 

The J. S. Belflower family and the Charlie Jenkins family and others 
moved to Brighton since the pioneers first settled it and they have helped in 
the growth and development of it. 

Today Brighton and Harding Communities make Brighton Militia Dis¬ 
trict 1550, and Harding Consolidated School District. 


MR. AND MRS. ELBERT FLETCHER 
BRIGHTON COMMUNITY 

by Mrs. Dan Sutton 

Elbert Fletcher was born in Irwin County near Fitzgerald. He was a 
soldier in the War Between the States. He married Katie McMillan of 
Alapaha and they owned a large plantation in the Brighton community, 
being some of the very first settlers. Mr. Fletcher died at the age of fifty- 
two, but Mrs. Fletcher, who was affectionately known as “Aunt Katie,” 
lived to be ninety-one years of age. Their children were Dan, George M., 
and Sarah. 

Mrs. Fletcher was a good financier, a good neighbor and friend. She was 
a staunch charter member of the Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church, 
never missing a service except for illness. At “Big Meeting” time, her home 



134 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


was filled with visiting members during the three days. Her hospitality, 
as did that of the other pioneers, knew no bounds, especially during these 
meetings. 

She was a famous cook of the old style. She cared nothing for dress, but 
her character was pure gold. She lived alone for many years. She kept a 
large herd of cows all the time, and loved them dearly. No matter what 
time of night one came straggling in, she would get up out of bed and go 
turn him in the cowpen. Aunt Katie was really a brave pioneer. They rest 
in the Turner Church cemetery. 


MR. AND MRS. HENRY SUTTON 
BRIGHTON COMMUNITY 
by Mrs. Dan Sutton 

Henry Sutton was born in the Zion Hope community in 1861, a son of 
Joe and Missouri Sumner Sutton. He had one sister, Susie. In 1881 he mar¬ 
ried Sarah Fletcher, and a little later they purchased a 650-acre farm in 
Brighton community. Here they reared six children: Walter, Willie, Dan, 
George, Kate, and Bessie. 

Mrs. Sutton was an invalid for many years, but had somewhat recovered 
during her last years. She had a great sense of humor, and everyone en¬ 
joyed her. When one drove up to her gate, she met him there with a 
friendly smile and one felt welcome at once. Her smile lighted up her 
whole face and there was a twinkle in her eye. She enjoyed homemaking, 
and since she had lived in the house so much when she was ill, she par¬ 
ticularly liked to walk about the yard and lot, feeding her chickens, etc., 
spending as much time as possible outdoors. She was exceedingly cheerful 
for one who had suffered for so many years. 

Mr. Sutton liked to minister to the sick, and he spent many a weary 
night watching at the bedside of those who were ill. When sorrow, illness, 
or trouble entered a home, he was the first person thought of. 

He was a charter member of the Mount Olive Primitive Church, and 
was a leading member and faithful in fulfilling his church duties as long 
as he lived. He always worked to maintain the best school possible. He 
loved and enjoyed his family and, like all other pioneers, they were exceed¬ 
ingly hospitable in their home. The latch string was, in truth, always on 
the outside. 

Just as at the other pioneer homes there were cane grindings and sugar 
boilings for a month. Mrs. Sutton was an expert at making sugar. Then 
came hog killing time with “chiltlins” and stuffed sausage. 

Mr. Sutton served four years as Tax Receiver of Tift County. He had 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


135 


the first store in Brighton and was postmaster during the time the post 
office was at Brighton. He died in 1926, Mrs. Sutton having preceded him 
in death in 1924. 

MR. AND MRS. JONATHAN WALKER 
BRIGHTON COMMUNITY 
by Mrs. Dan Sutton 

Jonathan Walker was born near Irwinville. His father died when Jona¬ 
than was very young, and he helped his mother rear eight children. For 
several years Jonathan ran a ferry across the Alapaha River near Crystal 
Lake. Jonathan carried the mail on horseback from Irwinville to Broxton. 
He set up camps along the mail route and here he stopped to eat and sleep. 
He was Tax Collector of Irwin County for one term. He was a great 
fisherman and spent much of his latter days tramping the woods he loved 
so w T ell and fishing. 

In 1880, he married Margaret Fletcher, better known as “Gallie.” After 
his marriage, he bought two lots of land in the Brighton Community, and 
here they reared their family: Alice, James (present sheriff of Tift Coun¬ 
ty), Edna, and Kate. 

Mr. Walker was a good neighbor, a real friend to the poor and unfor¬ 
tunate. often going out of his way to befriend them, a devoted husband, a 
good provider for his family, and a civic minded man—always working for 
the best interests of his community. 

He died October 1, 1917. Mrs. Walker survived him several years. She 
was a faithful, active member of the Mount Olive Primitive Baptist 
Church, a fine cook, kind to the sick, and even though her health was poor 
for many years, she went about as long as she lived, giving “A cup of cold 
water in the Master’s name.” They rest in the Tifton cemetery. 



136 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


BROOKFIELD 
(Tifton Gazette) 

Jan. 5, 1923 
(By Nathan L. Turner) 

Brookfield started September or October 1870. George W. Bowen, 
father of Enoch P. and I. W. Bowen, built a little cypress log store, near 
where the Brookfield Methodist Church now stands, about 14 by 16 
feet, about the time stated above, and put canned goods, crackers, and 
groceries in it. 

This was just as the grading crew of the what then was to be the 
Brunswick and Albany Railroad, moved their camps to what is east Brook¬ 
field now; the track-laying crew was somewhere east of Alapaha river 
then, I think about Willacoochee. 

Bowen had to haul his goods by team fifty miles, probably from Val¬ 
dosta and Albany. 

The railroad now belongs to the A. C. L. Railway Co. They were build¬ 
ing, but he sold goods and kept on doing business until the road began 
running trains as far as Brookfield, and it was a station from the first train 
that reached there until now. 

Elisha S. Mallory built the first sawmill there, also in the bounds of 
Tift County about a year or two after the railroad was finished that far. 
Brookfield was a town before Tifton or Ty Ty was started. The next sta¬ 
tion above Brookfield was Riverside, just north of Little River. It had a 
sidetrack and store before Tifton was started, but Tifton got the store 
and killed it. 

It was in this store of Mr. Bowen’s that I spent my first dime. I bought 
five cents worth of streaked-stick candy, and five cents worth of lemon 
crackers, and got five of each and that was the best candy and crackers I 
ever ate, or ever will. 

I was six years old and had on my first suit of clothes, made from home 
sheared, home-spun, home woven and home-made “jeans.” It was half 
of woven wool, and the other half of warps of cotton, home-grown, home 
hand-seed picked, for I helped to pick it and home-spun. I also had on 
about my first pair of shoes, and they were made out of home-tanned 
cowhide, tanned and made by my brother-in-law Dempsey Willis with 
pegs from maple wood and sewed with home-made thread. (Willis lives 
at Brookfield now.) They were not very good, but they kept a fellow’s 
feet warm. So as smart as the boys think they are of today, we can boast 
of things they never saw, even had. 

There was one train a day up, and down next day, with fifteen to twenty- 
five box and flat cars, with a coach with a division through the center, the 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


137 


front end used for baggage, express, and mail car, and the other on hind 
end, used for colored people and then the last car used for white folks. They 
looked like street cars used now. 

There were no air-brakes then, only hand-brakes, and when they wanted 
to stop, they blew brakes about a half to three-quarters of a mile before 
they got to the place where they wanted to stop, and often then, would run 
past it before they could stop. One short blow of the whistle was to apply 
brakes and two short blows to release them, and when they blew for brakes 
you would see the fellows on top of the freight cars in a trot, running from 
one car to the other twisting on brakes. Wet or cold weather, or even sleet 
or snow, they had to stay up there. 

The engines were wood-burners, and had to stop every few miles to take 
on wood to fire with and sometimes they could not make it to the next 
wood rack, and would have to stop and get some wood out of the woods, 
along side the track to fire up, so they could make the next woodrack. 
When they got there, the conductor had to get off and go to the engine 
and punch a ticket made for that purpose, the numbers of quarter cords 
they took and drop it in a little covered box attached to the woodrack for 
that purpose. That was what the man who run the rack got his pay from 
the paymaster with. 

There were no depots for several years after the road was built along 
the line, and the conductors collected freights and fares in cash, except 
what went to Albany or Brunswick. 

Conductors carried a duplex ticket to punch the place the passenger got 
on and off, the date, and amount collected. He gave you one-half of it, but 
you had to pay ten cents extra, for this receipt ticket he gave you, but the 
paymaster would redeem those tickets on the pay car once a month at ten 
cents. This is the only way he could check up with the conductor on cash 
fares. 

This road ran, this one train one way and next day the other until 1879, 
w T hen they put on one each way. The first daily train that ran from the 
east, brought old Uncle Jimmy Gaulding to Tifton in July, 1879. 

I am the oldest man from point of occupancy in Tifton, I think. I came 
and lived here May 9, 1879, just ahead of Uncle Jimmy Gaulding, and 
Mrs. J. B. Huff, had lived here with her father, Uncle Billy Mathews, 
just before I came. I think she is the oldest resident in Tifton, from a 
point of occupancy. Now, don’t think I am old. 

I was clerking in the store of Turner and Fletcher, composed of my 
brother, Jack Turner, and James Fletcher, who was killed later by James 
Gibbs, near Alapaha river (between here and there).. This was the only 
store here then and Tift did not even have a commissary then. It was that 
year that Mr. Tift bought his first engine to pull his log trucks and the 
road ran out southeast to the Old Myer Baker place. I rode with him on 
the engine the first trip he made out with it. 


138 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


(Editor’s Note: There was great difficulty in getting facts about Brook¬ 
field because of conflicting opinions. We finally decided to use two articles, 
which may give some contradictory statements, but we did our best to get 
accuracy.) 


THE HISTORY OF BROOKFIELD 
(Eulala Tyson) 

Brookfield, a small village seven miles east of Tifton, was founded in 
the late 1870’s. It was settled by a small, compact group of peace-loving 
citizens; farmers, merchants, and lumber men grouped together to form 
this small unit they called a community. 

The citizens of Brookfield did not make its history. They merely lived 
there and in living Time and Fate slowly chiseled their age-old story on 
the faces of these old settlers. Each face is a history in itself—history of 
peace, love, and harmony, fear, death, and disaster, joy and sorrow. They 
are all etched on the faces of the survivors. They will tell you that Brook¬ 
field has no history. It has no beginning and no ending. It has a’ways been 
there—a meeting-place of the local boys, shopping center for the enter¬ 
prising young ladies of the surrounding parts, and gossip-post and hitch- 
rack for all the men and mules. 

Brookfield began with Fender’s Lumber mill which produced lumber 
for surrounding territories. This lumber mill was followed by two stores 
operated by Mr. John Churchwell and Mr. J. M. Brown of Nashville, 
Georgia. 

In Mr. Churchwell’s stores one could find an odd assortment of goods. 
Farmers could purchase their mule shears, plow lines, gear, seed, and 
chewing tobacco. The good ladies, their wives, could make their purchases 
of gingham, grits, and white sugar. For the children shopping was quite a 
problem. The candy counter was there with its attractions. The youngster 
of yesterday had to rack his brain. Shall we buy peppermint sticks, gum- 
drops, or licorice? 

Mr. Churchwell, a notable character in Brookfield’s early history, led 
a hectic life. Aside from operating the largest merchandise store for miles, 
he was postmaster, express agent, and depot agent. Mr. Churchwell would 
gladly oblige one by selling a ticket, but the train-waving was left up to 
the individual. 

When Brookfield’s population increased so that Mr. Churchwell could 
not handle all of its thriving business, Mr. Charles Hardy and Mr. Enoch 
Bowen opened stores of their own. Brookfield was growing. The virgin 
timber was being cleared away, and more and larger farms were being 
cultivated. Mr. Sanders Gibbs operated a long staple cotton gin. Busi¬ 
ness was humming. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


139 


When Mr. Church well gave up his store in Brookfield and went to 
Albany, Georgia, Mr. Henry Webb and Mr. Archer McMillan took 
over his store. They continued his practice of business. 

The landowners of Brookfield were farmers, and merchants and lumber 
men. They owned all of the territory in and around Brookfield. They made 
the community what it was then, a proud heritage to leave to their children. 
They left a responsibility to be shared by all who lived there. Today their 
children and grandchildren accept that responsibility and listen with pride 
to the tales of their forefathers. 

Out of the haze of the past then comes a reminiscent gleam that makes 
the shadowy figures of the past a vague reality. Farmers in the village 
with their high stepping buggy horses, merchants, business to the core, all 
gathered with one common interest, to live, to build a home, to build part 
of a county, a state, and a nation, and a world. The children of yester¬ 
years may see Mr. Richard Gibbs, pole and can in hand, headed for the 
Alapaha River. Jolliest of the old settlers was Mr. Will Coursey. His 
merry laugh and cheery words were the joy of all his friends. Mr. Demp¬ 
sey Willis was a squirrel hunter while Mr. Mac White liked to hunt birds. 
Mr. Jim Taylor, farmer, was a very religious man, and he took his re¬ 
ligion seriously. Every Sunday one could see him jogging along in his 
buggy. The Reverend R. A. Lawrence was pastor of a church called 
“Booges Bottom.” Each Sunday this bearded gentleman could be seen com¬ 
ing from his home on the Alapaha, his old mule and road cart putting out 
small dusty puffs behind him. 

A visit to the mill operated by Mr. Charles Hardy was always a delight 
to the children. Just the words “Hardy’s mill” would send the youngsters 
scrambling for their swimming suits, fish hooks, poles, and the inevitable 
can of worms. 

The merchants, Mr. J. L. Gay and Mr. I. W. Bowen took their busi¬ 
ness seriously. Through their good works, Brookfield thrived and grew. 

Mr. C. H. Patton, son of Mr. Will Patton, one of Brookfield’s settlers, 
was a mere child when the community was formed. Even though he was 
young, he remembers the tales told by his father of their early life at 
Brookfield. Their forefathers’ pride still lingers. Pride in living well—in 
living good—in dying revered by all. 

Life in early Brookfield was not too dull, so Mr. Patton said. After 
the farmers’ “laying by” time in July, the farmers all took off from one 
to two weeks to hold their annual “big-meeting.” Church services were 
conducted by half a dozen preachers. Often the Baptists and Methodists 
would hold their meetings together. The preacher of one denomination 
would hold his services while the others listened. The next would then 
take his turn. After services were over, the converted ones would join 
the church of their choice. Out of these “big meeting” there arose one of 


140 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


the greatest evangelists in our church history, Bishop Arthur J. Moore, 
Brookfield’s presentation to a dark world in bad need of His light. 

After two weeks of “big meeting,” fodder was ripe and ready to pull. 
The long staple cotton was ready for picking. Cane was ripe for grinding 
after cotton was picked. 

Cane grinding was alwaj^s fun for the young and old. A good drink of 
ice cold.cane juice drunk under the light of a mellow harvest moon was 
headier than champagne drunk in society’s glamor and glitter. 

While the children played such games as Goosev-goosey-gander, William 
Trimble Toe, and Club Fist around a lightwood-knot fire, the elders would 
indulge in the latest gossip, horse-trading news, or a general discussion of 
the wayward trail taken by the younger generation. 

A serenade after a wedding was more fun than a movie, then unknown 
to Brookfield’s younger generation. When any young couple were married, 
young and old, big and little, joined in the serenading. This procession of 
merry-makers, making music or noise with big plow sweeps, dish pans, 
cow bells, and big circle saws would dance around the house two or three 
times, making as much noise as deemed possible. When everyone was tired 
of the clamor of dishpans, the jangle of cow t bells, and the shrill “twing” 
produced by the circle saw, they congregated as close to the bride and 
groom as possible for the final serenading. The banjo, harmonica, and the 
old grinder’s organ made sweet music. Every one sang to the disgruntled 
newlyweds. When the moon was high and it was time to leave, the song¬ 
sters sang “Home, Sweet Home.” Everyone was gay and happy but the 
bride. Her tears flowed like wine. 

In 1906, a druggist from Tifton drove the first automobile ever in 
Brookfield. The ladies marvelled over the great speed while the men tried 
to hold their panicky horses and mules. This event came close to causing a 
revolution in Brookfield’s mode of transportation. It had been the custom 
of the young blades to go to Tifton to rent a horse and buggy to take their 
best girls for a Sunday ride. Two and one-half dollars would rent one of 
Tifton’s highest-stepping buggy horses and classiest buggies worthy of any 
young lady. Did the first Brookfield-owned car arouse envy in the hearts 
of our Brookfield’s Romeos? 

The reminiscent gleam slowly fades and one can hear the soft murmur, 
“Ah, those were the good old days.” 

George Levere, one of Brookfield’s oldest negro citizens, gave his ver¬ 
sion of the way Brookfield got its name. He said, “Missey, them white 
folkses tell you dat Brookfield got hits name from dat stream down yonder 
’hind Mr. Harrell’s, but old George can tell you better. When us darkies 
furst come to Brooksfield, us had to go through Mr. Brook’s field to git 
to de sto. Us jist say ‘We gwine fru Brooks’ field’.” Even now one never 
hears a darky say Brookfield. It’s always Brooksfield. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


141 


Brookfield grew gradually. Its people lived and died. Only the memory 
of the days gone by remains. Today Brookfield is still a drowsy country 
village loved by all its inhabitants. 


BISHOP ARTHUR MOORE 
by E. Pickard 

Arthur James Moore, born at Argile, near Waycross, Georgia, Decem¬ 
ber 26, 1888, was son of John Spencer Moore and Emma Victoria Cason 
Moore, both of Ware County. When little more than an infant Arthur 
moved to Brookfield where he made his home with his parents for many 
years, John Spencer being section foreman with the Atlantic Coast Line 
Railroad. 

On April 26. 1906, Arthur J. Moore married Mattie T. McDonald, of 
which union were William Harry, Wilbur Wardlaw, Alice Evelyn, Doro¬ 
thy Emma, Arthur James. Jr. 

When the Reverend C. M. Dunnaway, of Atlanta, was preaching at a 
revival at the First Methodist Church, Waycross, in 1909, Moore was 
converted. That year he joined the South Georgia Methodist Conference 
and that fall he became pastor of a group of seven McIntosh County coun¬ 
try churches, of which Townsend was his first pastorate. None had a mem¬ 
bership exceeding thirty. 

Moore attended Emory, 1909-1911. He was ordained in 1914. He be¬ 
came a general evangelist and conducted evangelistic meetings throughout 
the nation until 1920, when he became pastor of the Travis Park Meth¬ 
odist Church, San Antonio, Texas. He received the Doctor of Divinity 
degree from Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky, 1922, and from Central 
College, Fayette, Missouri, 1924. Asbury, in 1930, conferred upon him 
the LL.D. degree. 

After the death of Dr. George Barr Stewart, pastor of the First Meth¬ 
odist Church, Birmingham, Dr. Moore succeeded Dr. Stewart as pastor 
and remained at that charge four years. 

During Dr. Moore’s ten years as pastor of Travis Park and at Bir¬ 
mingham, more than six thousand members were added to these churches. 

In 1930, at the general conference of the Methodist Church, held in 
Dallas, Texas, Dr. Moore was elected Bishop. His first assignment was 
to the West Coast of the United States, and it embraced California, Ore¬ 
gon, Arizona, and Washington State. 

In 1934 Bishop Moore was assigned the general supervision of mission 
work of the Southern Methodist Church. Under his direction was work in 
China, Japan, Korea, Asia, Poland, Belguim, Czechoslovakia, and the 
Belgian Congo of Africa. All of these places he visited annually. He main- 



142 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


tained offices in Shanghai and Brussels, and was wont to travel to Africa 
by plane. 

In 1940 Bishop Moore was again appointed to supervision of Methodist 
work in the United States. He was assigned Georgia and Florida. Head¬ 
quarters were in Atlanta. Also, he is head of missions of the entire Meth¬ 
odist Church, carrying on w T ork in fifty nations. 

For a year Bishop Moore served as president of Wesleyan College, Ma¬ 
con, the world’s oldest chartered female college. He preceded Dr. N. C. 
McPherson, of Atlanta, who became president in 1942. 

In June, 1942 Bishop Moore was preacher at an evangelistic meeting 
held at his boyhood home, Brookfield. Other preachers having a part in the 
Brookfield meetings w T ere Dr. Orion Mixon, of Tifton, and Dr. John 
Sharp, presiding elder of Cordele District of the Methodist Church. Fol¬ 
lowing the Brookfield meeting, Bishop Moore came to Tifton where he 
spoke at union services held in huge Twin Brick Warehouse and attended 
by approximately a thousand people at many of the services. Dr. Inman 
Johnson, professor of music at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 
Louisville, Kentucky, led the singing. 

On May 25, 1947, Bishop Moore dedicated the Brookfield Memorial 
Methodist Church. Among others taking part in the dedicatory services 
was his son, the Reverend William Harry Moore, pastor of the Broadway 
Methodist Church, Orlando, Florida. 

(See article on Churches, this book, re Brookfield Memorial Church.) 


CHULA 

by Billy Jean Pearman 

The first Chula community, as was typical of South Georgia, was merely 
mile after mile of pine trees and wiregrass. 

Gradually a few pioneer families moved from other sections. Jehu 
Branch, Sr., was one of the first men to bring his family to this district for 
settlement. 

From its first settlement the chief occupation of this small community 
has been farming. Few crops were grown in the first year or two. Sheep 
roamed the open country, and once a year they were driven to market to 
be sold. With the money received from the sale of livestock were bought 
various goods not grown on the farms. The women and children received 
their yearly clothing requirements on this eventful occasion. New farm 
equipment then in use w T as purchased for the farms. Until the next annual 
trip to town, the wives discussed their new gowns and slippers. 

Then in the early ’8o’s Jehu Branch, Sr., began the local grading for a 
railway. Construction of the railway began and 1888, the first train ran 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


143 


over the road. A highway was built through the community, but U. S, 
No. 41 was not paved until the spring of 1928. 

After Branch helped with the grading of the road, he erected a turpen¬ 
tine still and general store. Then a few years later he sold his stock to 
George W. Fletcher, another early settler in the community. 

About the same time Polk Milner erected a sawmill one mile south of 
Chula near the present site of Rigdon’s Camp. For a few years he sawed 
lumber and when he moved, sold the mill to A. B. Hollingsworth, who 
continued its operation. 

The community’s first post office, with George Branch as postmaster, 
was called Ruby. Upon discovering that another post office in the United 
States carried the same name, postal authorities changed the name to 
Chula, probably an Indian name meaning “flowers.” 

After the name was changed to Chula, the town was incorporated. 
Three bar rooms were erected and continued to operate until several years 
later when the charter expired. 

Upon completion of the Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad through 
this section, people began to move into the Chula community. Much of the 
land bought by the new settlers had been cleared. Today practically all the 
land is farm land. 

Since the coming of the first settlers, no provision had been made to 
fill the religious wants and needs of the people. In 1905 the people of the 
community, under the supervision of A. B. Hollingsworth, erected the 
Chula Methodist Church. A number of years later the Baptist Church, 
Reverend D. C. Rainey, pastor, was constructed. 

An interesting note is the fact that all deaths in the Chula community 
have been from natural causes with the exception of two. 

The first community doctor was Dr. Ellis. Dr. W. H. Hendricks as¬ 
sisted Dr. Ellis for a short time. Today Dr. Hendricks is a well-known 
Tift County physician. After Dr. Ellis’s stay, Dr. W. E. Tyson practiced 
medicine in Chula. At the time of his death about thirteen years ago, Dr. 
Tyson was a much-loved citizen of the community. Since that time the 
community has been without a resident physician except for a year at a 
time. 

In 1925 Berry Rigdon erected a turpentine still at Chula. Rigdon oper¬ 
ated the still until it was destroyed by fire about fourteen years later. Since 
that time naval stores products have been taken directly to Tifton, with 
the exception of those under the direction of Willis’ Still. 

The Chula community has always had an excellent school. The first 
school was near the W. E. Tyson home. The second building was located 
directly to the rear of the present Fred Pearman home. From there the 
site of the building was moved to the V. D. Tyson home. Several terms 
were taught there. In 1925 the Chula Consolidated School, said to be the 


144 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


first in the state, was erected. For a few terms the school was a senior high 
school; however, it was deemed wise for the upper two grades to be sent 
to the high school in Tifton. 

Since the time the Southern Railroad was first built, the Chula com¬ 
munity has grown. Today it is typical of the many small villages that con¬ 
stitute a part of our county, state, and nation. 

A LONE SOLDIER IN GRAY 
(Ida Belle Williams) 

May 3, 1934—Copied from Tifton Gazette. 

The following tribute, by Miss Ida Belle Williams, to Tift County’s 
only surviving veteran, was read at the Memorial Day Exercises here last 
Thursday. 

While ploughing a field in old Dixie and listening to soldiers’ tramps, a 
lad of sixteen years dreamed of joining the “Grays.” Finally the struggles 
of the sixties grew so desperate that the call came for Southern youth to 
join the colors. The morning thrills of young manhood swept over Beverly 
Patton Leach, as shouldering his gun to the rhythm of a Southern martial 
air, he stepped up to bid goodbye to loved ones and to the old farm near 
Griffin, Georgia. Alas, his heart grieved as his old mother clasped her son 
and wept farewell. 

This soldier boy marched directly toward Andersonville, Georgia, where 
later he met 62,000 prisoners in blue. For several weeks young Leach helped 
guard the stockade there. During this time the overflow of a stream washing 
away many of the logs, enabled a few prisoners to escape; but the alert 
Southern boys caught these prisoners. 

Oh, the hardships of this brave Southern lad, who ate fat meat and corn 
bread and slept under the sky! Such things as coffee and biscuit were 
foreign to his diet. Many times this soldier boy, while sleeping on a log 
pillow, dreamed of the yesterdays on the old farm near Griffin. Leach 
would force back a tear as he awoke to the thundering realization of war. 

From Andersonville to Savannah, Leach went with 1,000 prisoners. In 
this city by the sea he continued guarding and enduring the hardships. Fat 
meat and corn bread were still the only food contribution to his strength. 

Upon leaving Savannah, the young soldier marched to Blackshear where 
he guarded for weeks Yankee prisoners. His experience there did not 
differ very much from those at other stockades. 

His next change was his departure for Thomasville. From this little 
town to Albany, young Leach, with his sack and gun, tramped about fifty 
miles. 

Later, while in Thomasville the soldier served as a messenger boy. Soon 
after his period of message work, Leach returned to his first post at Ander- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


145 


sonville to get 1,000 prisoners, whom he and other guards had orders to 
carry to Ocean Pond, Florida. Upon arriving at Lake City, however, these 
guards placed the prisoners into Florida official’s custody. On April 9, 
1865, the end of the war, Leach after receiving an honorable discharge, 
disconsolately plodded his way toward Griffin. 

Upon arriving at the old home place, Leach found, as Grady said, “his 
house in ruins, his farm devastated, his stock killed, his barns empty, his 
trade destroyed, his money worthless, his comrades slain, and the burden 
of others heavy upon his shoulders.” What did Leach do? This soldier 
stepped from the trenches into the furrow, and fields that ran with human 
blood in April were grown with the harvest in June. 

Beverly Patton Leach, Tift County’s lone soldier in gray, lives at 
Chula, Georgia. Although eighty-six years old—he will be that age on 
May 3—Leach is still active enough to manage a store, in which he sells 
school supplies and candy to school children. This affable old gentleman’s 
pseudonym is “Granddaddy Leach.” 

Like many others of the sixties, Mr. Leach had no educational advant¬ 
ages. Being the oldest of eight children, he spent his time behind a stub¬ 
born mule instead of at a desk to the tune of a hickory stick. Despite the 
fact that his school days numbered only seven, Granddaddy Leach re¬ 
joices that the youth now has opportunities minus the hickory. 

The same indomitable spirit that characterized the brave lad in gray 
has permeated the life of this Confederate soldier. He has lived through 
three wars and is still able to smile a greeting to the modern generation. 
He has fought and won in the battle of life. 

May the sun in all its splendor rise many more times for Tift County’s 
lone soldier in gray! When finally at sunset the evening star beckons him 
on, may he follow with a heart still loyal to the gray, to the immortal white 
flag that waves over a land of eternal peace! 


ELDORADO 
by Mrs. A. N. Adcock 

Eldorado was named by the Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad soon 
after its completion in 1888. The name signified the rich growth of pines. 
Even the wiregrass grew almost high enough to hide a horse and buggy. 

Many years ago Enoch Bowen had guano shipped to Eldorado for farm¬ 
ers, and he had to deliver the fertilizer in a wagon. He once said, “The 
grass was so high and rich looking that I had difficulty finding an open 
space where I could tie my horse.” 

Years later the fact that there was another town named Eldorado 
caused a confusion about names. The post office at Eldorado was changed 



146 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


to Fender, the namesake of Frank Fender, a turpentine operator, who went 
to the town more than fifty years ago. Fender can boast of being the 
smallest town in Georgia with two names. 

About one mile west of Fender was the Union Road through which 
Sherman’s army passed on their march to the sea. 

A. N. Adcock, Sr., owns a farm with an old settlement log house, where 
Sherman let his men stop to drink from the old well. 

The first school was known as the old Mt. Vernon school as it was 
taught in the Mt. Vernon church and located about two miles north of 
Eldorado on what is now one of T. E. Phillips’s farm. 

About the year 1900 Mr. T. E. Phillips and P. D. Phillips came to 
South Georgia and bought Fender’s interest in the turpentine still and also 
began farming. The Phillipses lived near the station. In 1902 they built a 
little one-room school building, which the Baptists and Methodists used 
also for church services. In 1905 each denomination built its own church. 
Several years later, the new consolidated school was built. 

Mr. J. P. Davis and family moved to Eldorado in 1898. His daughter, 
who was the first child born on the mill ground was named Eldora for the 
town. As far as we know, she is the only Tift County citizen named for a 
town. This family moved from Eldorado to Tifton in 1905. His daughter, 
Maggie, affectionately known as “Miss Maggie” worked with the tele¬ 
phone exchange for years. 


HISTORY OF THE EXCELSIOR DISTRICT 

When Mr. John Y. Sutton moved into the Excelsior community on 
January 14, 1893, there was no school nearby. He sent his two children 
to the Warrenton School located between the Logan Glover and J. J. 
Warren farms. This building was in no condition to be used for the 1896 
school term. 

For two years, 1896 and 1897, Mr. W. H. Partridge furnished a tenant 
house for a school. The next year 1898, Mr. William Gibbs furnished a 
house. The 1899 term was taught in one of Mr. John Y. Sutton’s houses. 

Growing tired of these arrangements, Mr. John Y. Sutton, Mr. William 
Gibbs and Mr. James Gibbs decided to build a school house. During 1900 
they built and equipped a school house on the old Pittman place, owned 
by Mr. Bill Warren at that time. This was called “Willis School.” Here 
the children were happy until 1905 when Mr. W. H. Willis bought the 
land, and moved a family into the house. 

Something had to be done so that the community would never be without 
a school again. A community meeting was called and plans were made for 
the erecting of a school house that could not be disposed of. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


147 


Both Mrs. William Gibbs, daughter of Mr. W. H. Partridge, and Mr. 
John Y. Sutton gave two acres of land. The place for the building was 
chosen where the Qmega-Ty Ty road and the Tifton-Pine Forest road 
meet. The Downing Company gladly gave enough timber that had been 
blown down by a storm for the building. Mr. William Gibbs gave $125.00, 
Mr. John Y. Sutton gave $100.00, Mrs. M. P. Young gave $50.00, Mr. 
M. Tucker $50.00. The remainder of $50.00 needed for erecting and equip¬ 
ping the building was given in small donations. Rev. James Gibbs gave 
the name “Little Creek” to this school. This building was used as a meet¬ 
ing place for any denomination as long as the services did not interfere with 
the school activities. 

The first teacher was Miss Ida Middleton, of Tennessee. She changed 
the name to Excelsior, meaning “Yet higher or ever upward.” Everj^one 
has learned to love the name even though the name was changed over the 
protests of those who first furnished the name and the building. 

This building was used until 1928. At this time the old Ty Ty, Salem 
and Excelsior Schools were consolidated into the present Excelsior School. 
Two-thirds of this school yard was given by Mr. George Ford, Sr. The 
other one-third was given by Mr. J. S. Taylor. Ten grades were taught 
at this school for three or four terms; since then the tenth and eleventh 
grade students have been carried to the Tifton School. During 1929 the 
old Salem school house was moved over to the Excelsior school yard to be 
used as a teacherage. 

(This sketch was compiled by Mrs. Hazel Whittington Fowler as given 
to her by Mr. J. Y. Sutton, pioneer of the Excelsior School Community.) 


HISTORY OF HARDING 
(Mrs. Dan Sutton) 

Harding community was begun about sixty years ago with a tramroad 
built by Captain H. H. Tift. This tramroad was used to haul logs from 
across the Alapaha river to Tifton. People living at Harding at that time 
often road on this road. Charlie Jenkins was the engineer. After Fitz¬ 
gerald was settled, Captain Tift built the tramroad on into Fitzgerald, 
and the day of all days for the settlers of Harding were those when excur¬ 
sions were run between Tifton and Fitzgerald. The tramroad was sold to 
the A. B. & C. Railroad and later became the A. B. & C. Railroad. Today 
the A. C. L. Railroad owns it. 

Sixty years ago Captain H. H. Tift bought six lots of land at Harding 
for $150 per lot. He cut the two lots around Harding Station into forty- 
acre tracts and named them the Harding Fig Farm. The name Harding was 
taken from the name of a town on the railroad where Captain Tift lived 



148 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


in Massachusetts, and he hoped that the forty-acre tracts would be develop¬ 
ed into fig farms. Instead there was only one fig tree, and it was in Dan 
Fletcher’s yard. 

Azor Paulk owned four lots of land around Harding and these were 
cut up into farms for his children: Charlie, Mack, Hillsman and Jim 
Paulk, and Effie Paulk Jenkins, Faithy Paulk Hall, and Becky Paulk 
Gibbs. 

Dan Fletcher was one of the very first settlers at Harding, and at his 
death he was a large land owner there. Other families who have bought 
homes at Harding or have lived there for several years and have had a 
great part in the growth and development of the Harding Community are 
E. L. Vance, L. L. Simmons, J. D. McAllister, Y. E. Matthews, John 
Goff, Sr., Jacob Hall, Jim Ellis, W. H. Kelley, R. Arnold, C. S. Garner, 
H. D. McAllister and Harding Vance. 

E. L. Vance bought part of the fig farm land and he and Dan Fletcher 
set up a cotton gin. Later Mr. Vance purchased the gin, and until three 
years ago, he ginned cotton for the Harding farmers as well as for many 
others. 

John Churchwell from Brookfield built the first store at Harding and 
sent J. L. Gay over to Harding to run it. Later Mr. Churchwell sold the 
store to William Matthews who in turn sold it to Dan Fletcher. The 
store went out of business for a few years and was again opened by Dan 
Fletcher and E. L. Vance. Today Mr. Vance owns the store and does a 
good business there. 

About forty years ago the Harding post office was opened with Dan 
Fletcher as postmaster and his wife, Mattie Churchwell Fletcher as his 
assistant. Dave Branch carried the mail from Waterloo to Harding on 
horseback. J. B. Fletcher who carried the mail from Tifton to Irwinville 
picked up the mail at Harding Post Office. The Harding Post Office was 
a trunk and was kept at either the house or the store. Soon rural routes were 
opened up and the post office was abolished. 

Captain Tift had a large turpentine still at Harding and did a big 
business turpentining the timber. Turpentine is one of the major enter¬ 
prises at Harding today. 

The first school was taught in Liberty Baptist Church. Two terms of 
school were held in the Antioch Methodist Church with J. J. F. Goodman 
as the teacher. Then the first real Harding schoolhouse was built, being 
a one-room wooden building. Miss Gussie Hines was the first teacher. 
Soon another room was added and later the school was consolidated with 
Brighton School and became a three-room school. In 1926 a four-room brick 
building with an auditorium was built at Harding. Today the Harding 
school runs nine months. They have nine grades, the tenth and eleventh 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


149 


grades being taken to Tifton on a bus. They have a lunch room where they 
serve hot lunches to all the children. 

There are two churches in the Harding Community—the Liberty Baptist 
Church, constituted about fifty-five years ago and the Harding Methodist 
Church, constituted thirty years ago. 

Cotton, tobacco, and peanuts are the main crops grown in the commun¬ 
ity, but plant farming has been begun. Many of the farmers practice soil 
conservation by terracing, rotating their crops, and planting winter cover 
crops. Some are dairying on a rather large scale. Most of the farming is 
done by tractors now. Many of the homes now have electricity and are 
constantly adding conveniences. 


MR. AND MRS. DAN FLETCHER 
HARDING COMMUNITY 
by Mrs. Dan Sutton 

Dan Fletcher was born in Berrien County in 1867, a son of Elbert and 
Katherine McMillan Fletcher. In 1891 he married Mattie Churchwell of 
Brookfield, a daughter of John and Fredonia Churchwell. They lived with 
Mr. Fletcher’s parents two years, and then moved to the Fort Place for a 
short time. Later they purchased a large plantation and settled at Hard¬ 
ing where his family still lives. The following children were born to this 
union: Erris, Melvin, Mrs. Fredonia Simmons, John H. (who is national¬ 
ly known as Big John Fletcher, the football player), Dan, Jr., Mrs. Edgar 
Pritchett, Sarah, and Mrs. Virginia Corley, all of whom are living. 

Mr. Fletcher was a large land owner and livestock man. He liked better 
than anything else to ride the woods among his livestock. 

Mrs. Fletcher is a chartei member of Mount Olive Primitive Baptist 
Church, Mr. Fletcher becoming a member after the church was organ¬ 
ized. They were big-hearted Christian people, always attending faithfully 
not only their own church services, but also the services of the other 
churches in the community. They were well-wishers to all with whom they 
came in contact. They were real friends to teachers and preachers. They 
were active participants in the civic and religious organizations of the 
community. They were good neighbors. Hundreds of men, both white and 
colored, have lived on his farms, and they held him in highest regard. This 
was proved by the large number of colored people who filed by his bier for 
the last look. 

Mr. Fletcher was a great financier. It has been said of him that even 
though he was ill, he could make one dollar go further than any one else 
could make ten dollars. He survived successfully such disasters as years 



150 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


when he expected to gather three hundred bales of cotton and gathered 
twenty-six. 

The Fletchers were a very devoted family, and the children always found 
help in time of need. The large family of children have always gathered at 
the old homestead at least once a week if possible. 

Mr. Fletcher died early in 1946. He has been sorely missed by his be¬ 
loved family, his friends, and his neighbors since his death. Mrs. Fletcher 
still carries on and is greatly beloved by all who know her. 


MR. AND MRS. JOHN GOFF 
HARDING COMMUNITY 
by Mrs. Dan Sutton 

John Goff was born in Irwin County near where Liberty Baptist church 
now stands Oct. 29, 1841. Even though he was not of military age, he 
served the four years of the War Between the States. He served at first for 
another person who paid John to serve in his place. Then John enlisted for 
himself. He was a drummer boy. He saw action in the battles of Gettys¬ 
burg and Bull Run. 

Just after the war, he married Nellie Hall of Irwin County, who was 
born Nov. 23, 1852. They purchased several hundred acres of land sur¬ 
rounding Liberty Baptist Church and here they reared a large family of 
children who have been influential in the church and civic life of Harding. 
The children are: Kano (now deceased), George (better known as Kip), 
Mrs. Lou Goff Goodman, Jack, Jake, Mrs. Lettie Goff Ellis, Mrs. Ma- 
lissa Goff Thigpen, Hilburn, Milton, Dan (these three deceased), and 
John. 

Mr. Goff served Irwin and Tift Counties as Road Commissioner for 
sixteen years. He donated the land on which Liberty Baptist Church was 
built, and was a charter member of that church. Both were faithful mem¬ 
bers until their deaths. Their descendants largely make up the church 
today. Rev. L. B. Allen has been their faithful pastor for many years, and 
under his leadership, the church is growing and prosperous. 

Mr. Goff was trustee of the Harding School for years. 

Mr. and Mrs. Goff were fine Christian characters, good neighbors, great¬ 
ly beloved by those who knew them, hospitable in their home, and good 
citizens. 

Both were good singers and this trait has been handed down to their 
posterity. One can still heai Mrs. Goff singing treble as they sang the 
grand old hymns of their day. Today these two rest side by side in the 
cemetery of Liberty Baptist Church they loved so well. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


151 


MR. AND MRS. JACOB HALL 
HARDING COMMUNITY 
by Mrs. Dan Sutton 

Jacob Hall was born in 1856 in Irwin County. His mother died when 
he was very young, and Jacob lived with Warren Paulk near Ocilla until 
he was grown. He spent his young manhood working at odd jobs wherever 
he could find them. In 1880 he married Faithie Paulk, daughter of Azor 
and Judy Fletcher Paulk. Jacob Young performed the marriage ceremony. 

They purchased a farm in the Harding community, on the old Ocilla 
highway and here they spent all their married life. 

Mr. Hall was sheriff of Irwin county for at least one term, was a mem¬ 
ber of the Tift County Board of Education for 16 years, and was on the 
building committee which built the modern brick school that Harding now 
has. Mr. Hall donated the land for the first Harding school. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hall were staunch members of the Mount Olive Primi¬ 
tive Baptist church for many years. One can still see Mrs. Hall shaking 
hands with the people who came to church, for she was a friendly person, 
and saw to it that no one ever left her church without being spoken to. 

Their home was a hospitable one. Large crowds of people, both old and 
young, often gathered there from church and they were always welcome. 
Mr. and Mrs. Hall always met visitors at the gate if possible, with a 
friendly smile, and the visitors knew they were welcome as soon as they 
arrived. Mrs. Hall was a wonderful cook and was neatness itself. Her 
house and surroundings were always spotlessly clean and her larder was 
always full. 

In later years Mr. Hall was not able to do hard work and he spent much 
of his time sitting on the front porch where he could see his neighbors when 
they passed. One can see him now in his old accustomed place. Both w’ere 
kind to the unfortunate and the sick. 

Their children are Walter who resides at the home place, Albert, Gil¬ 
bert, and Ada now deceased, Charlie J., Shesley M., and Mrs. Perry Mix¬ 
on. Those now living own homes and are substantial citizens of the Hard¬ 
ing community. 

Mrs. Hall died in 1938 and Mr. Hall in 1940. They rest side by side 
in the cemetery at Turner Church, one of the oldest churches in Tift 
County. 


152 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


MR. AND MRS. AZOR PAULK 
HARDING COMMUNITY 
(Mrs. Dan Sutton) 

Azor Paulk who married Judy Fletcher was one of the very first settlers 
of what is now Harding community. Because the records were burned, 
much information is unattainable. They had a large family of children. 
They owned a large section of what is now Harding. Their plantation 
has now been divided up into many homes. Rigdon’s still quarters are on 
a part of their land. 

Mr. Paulk was a big livestock man, owning hundreds of sheep, cattle, 
and hogs. Sheep-shearing was a great time on their plantation. The men 
of the community would get up before day and ride for miles to bring in 
the sheep. As the sheep were brought in, they were penned in barns. The 
lambs were placed in a pen by themselves. The next morning the hungry 
lambs would run to their mothers and each lamb would then be marked in 
the owner’s mark. Neighbors came in to help with the shearing. Often the 
women had a quilting party while the men sheared the sheep. The women 
prepared and served bountiful dinners at the sheep-shearings, mutton being 
one of the main dishes. These sheep-shearings took place on all the large 
plantations. 

Mrs. Paulk outlived Mr. Paulk for several years. They are buried near 
their home. 


HISTORY OF OMEGA 
(by Mrs. Lois Grimes) 

In the year 1889 the Union Lumber Company built a railroad from Tif- 
ton to Thomasville. It was called T. T. and G. Tifton, Thomasville and 
Gulf. Later it was called A. R. & A., and then A. B. & C. About ten 
miles southwest of Tifton, on this road the little town of Surrey was laid 
off by a Mr. Hall. It was located on the land of G. W. Ridley and B. L. 
Smith. It had five avenues: Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and 
Florida. It had six streets: Cedar, Oak, Maple, Chestnut, Cypress, and 
Pine. The population was fifteen. Later the name was changed to Omega. 
The 1940 census showed a population of 602, but in 1947 it is at least 
one thousand. 

The first store was built by a Mr. Scarboro, on the south side of the 
depot. Later a store was built by Joe Marchant, on the north side of the 
railroad. In 1911 J. W. Lang went into the mercantile business. The drug 
store was built in 1912. G. W. Ridley, George Robinson, and Miles 
Cowart built brick stores about 1918. 



AIR VIEW OF OMEGA—Enterprising Tift County community and one of the largest 

shipping points for vegetable plants in the United States. 





154 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Omega has been burned out four times, but in 1947 it has an up-to-date 
drug store, six grocery stores, one general merchandise and grocery store, 
five meat markets, hardware store, furniture store, ten cent store, two mod¬ 
ern cafes, two barber shops, two beauty parlors, five filling stations, four 
garages, dry cleaning establishment, theater, park, cannery, grist mill, four 
warehouses, two blacksmith shops, and a feed mill. This mill averages 
about a car of dairy feed a day for six months of the year. The City 
Hall, jail and fire truck are all housed in a brick building. A volunteer 
fire department was organized in 1936, and they have done a good job when¬ 
ever fire broke out. 

In 1936 a deep well was dug and water works installed. Lights are fur¬ 
nished by the Georgia Power Company. 

The first cotton gin was built by Joe Marchant, in 1901. W. C. Mobley 
put in a more modern gin in 1915. Omega now has two electric gins, owned 
by H. A. Hornbuckle and Omega Plant Farms, Inc, 

A Georgia State Bank was organized in 1912 with a capital of $25,000. 
It closed in 1926, and Omega had no bank until A. G. Jones established 
a private pank in 1937. 

J. W. Taylor was postmaster of the first post office, which was fourth 
class. Earl Tolbert is postmaster, and the office is now second class. There 
is one regular clerk and two substitutes, who work regularly during plant 
season. 

The Baptist Church was organized in 1887, with a small membership 
which has grown to 343. They are giving Christian training to a large 
number through their Sunbeams for small children, R. A.’s for small boys, 
G. A.’s for small girls, and training unions for young people and adults. 
They have a large, active missionary society. 

The Methodist Church was organized in 1901, with twenty members, 
and has grown to 204. They have an active youth’s organization, Women’s 
Society of Christian Service, and a Missionary Guild. 

A beautiful spirit of Christian cooperation is shown by the w T ay Sunday 
School and prayer services are conducted. Both churches have half time 
service and Sunday school is held at the church having preaching. Prayer 
meeting is held one week at the Baptist and next at the Methodist. The 
same people attend both churches. Both churches have a building fund and 
plan to build new churches as soon as it is practical. The Methodists have 
a nice parsonage and the Baptists plan to build a new pastorium. They 
rent a very nice place for the pastor. 

Omega is very proud of its school. The first school was held in the 
Baptist Church, with about forty pupils. The first teacher was Miss Beulah 
Watkins, and her salary was $18.00 a month. The first school building was 
a two-story wooden structure, and was built on an acre of land given by 
G. W. Ridley. He also gave an acre for each church. The top story was 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


155 


used as a Masonic Hall; later they sold their part to the school and this 
building was used until 1923 when a new brick building was erected on 
the northwest side of town. Since that time two more rooms have been 
added, a four-room wooden structure built for the primary grades. The 
old pump house was converted into a class room now used for music. 

A ball shell, built several years ago, has recently been remodeled. A nice 
brick agricultural building has also been added. The school has an enroll¬ 
ment of 451, operates two busses and has twelve teachers. It has a fine 
Vocational Agriculture and Home Economics Department. The music 
teacher also has a large class. Instead of one acre the campus now has six 
acres. The school also has a nice home for the principal. 

Omega owes its growth to the fact that it is surrounded by some of the 
best farm land in Georgia. Peanuts, vegetable plants, and tobacco, are 
three of the best money crops. In 1946 over a million dollars worth of pea¬ 
nuts were sold in Omega. The first vegetable plants grown for sale in 
Omega were grown by E. L. Patrick, H. Roberts, and W. M. Ponder, in 
1918. To begin with Patrick and Roberts planted about one acre of cab¬ 
bage and bedded about 2,000 bushels of potatoes. E. L. Powell began his 
plant business in 1921. He began by planting five pounds of cabbage seed, 
and last year his son planted about five tons. They began growing tomato 
plants for sale in 1922. There are now a number of vegetable plant com¬ 
panies shipping cabbage, tomatoes, onions, pepper, lettuce, broccoli, cauli¬ 
flower, and beets. There are six packing sheds in Omega. Roy Ponder has 
recently erected a large shed of cement blocks, just inside the city limits, 
on the Tifton road. Harry Hornbuckle was the first one to ship vegetable 
plants by plane. It is estimated that three hundred million plants were 
shipped from Omega in 1946. Recently a number of farmers have planted 
vineyards. Mrs. T. M. Hornbuckle and Mrs. Colin Malcolm are the first 
to grow flowers for sale. They have gladioli and chrysanthemums. 

Omega's first newspaper was the “Civic Bulletin,” edited by Earl Tol¬ 
bert, in 1936. This was a very small paper. In 1938 W. L. Lang began 
publishing a weekly, “The Omega News.” This is a standard size news¬ 
paper. 

The civic clubs have been instrumental in the growth of the town. The 
Lions Club was organized in 1943, and has thirty-six members. They are 
responsible for the dial telephone system, and for the stop lights. They have 
played a large part in remodeling the ball shell. Together with the Wom¬ 
an’s Club they are erecting a brick club house in the park. Ed Moore of 
Tifton, formerly of Omega, gave the land for the park and it is called 
Joe Warren Memorial Park, in honor of his deceased son. The Lions Club 
had the arch built over the entrance to the park. 

The Woman’s Club has thirty-six members. They helped in remodeling 
the ball shell. They sponsor the Youth’s Canteen which meets once a week. 


156 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


The P.-T. A. is a very active organization, which has done much for 
the school, especially for the lunch room. 

Omega is said to have more paved streets to its size than any town in the 
United States. 

(Some information used taken from article written by Louise Fletcher, 
granddaughter of the late G. W. Ridley.) 


ABOUT TY TY 
(by Mrs. Maude D. Thompson) 

There is nothing unusual about Ty Ty, except its name, which one 
traveling man said was a town spelled with four letters—two capitals and 
no vowels. The story of the name is: 

When the B. & W. railroad was being built in 1870 and trains began 
to stop at a sawmill sidetrack, in 1872, a small town was built, consisting 
of log houses, near a creek called “Ti Ti Creek” (later called “Ty Ty 
Creek”). The creek had been named for a small evergreen shrub with a 
white tassel-like flower, which grows profusely on this creek. A name for 
the town was the subject of much discussion at that time. 

\A great many people sold hand-hewn cross-ties of pure heart pine to 
the railroads. So many accumulated that it was called a tie-town, just “ties 
and ties” all around. When the storekeeper “Daddy Jelks” wrote the post 
office department for a post office here, he suggested the name “Ty Ty.” 
His spelling was a personal affair, and he liked the looks of big shaded 
capital letters. The name or spelling has not been changed. “Daddy Jelks” 
had no children. He was a very public spirited man and wanted a good 
town and worked for its good. Ty Ty is his only memorial. 

2 The first settlers came from North Carolina and Virginia. Their first 
enterprise was raising cows on an open range. The timber, then large, tall 
pines, was some of the best for lumber making, but the first homes were 
log houses, with “stick-and-dirt” chimneys. The houses were far apart, the 
markets and even the post office was some distance from home, and the 
mode of travel was “on horse back,” in a horse cart, or an ox cart. When 
the men went to market they usually went in groups and “camped out,” 
sleeping in the open at night. The trips from Ty Ty to Albany required 
two da)^s. 

3 The names of the first settlers were Gibbs, Willis, Warren, Hannan, 
Sumner, Branch, and many others whose descendants remain in the county. 

The little town grew rapidly, with a turpentine still, owned and oper¬ 
ated by Mr. W. E. Williams and Mr. George Warren, and a large saw- 


1. As told by W. A. Nipper 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


157 


mill operated by a Mr. Waters. A great many transient people came just 
to make money and move on. Small stores sprung up rapidly, and they all 
sold whiskey, by the drink or any way the buyer wanted it. So, when 
Saturday and payday came times were exciting with fights and sometimes 
a murder. Women did not venture down town on the street on Saturday. 
There were always some good people who wanted a peaceful, law-abiding 
town, and worked to make that. They began getting a good school. The 
first school was a three-months school in 1872, and was taught in a log 
house near where Dr. Pickett’s residence now stands. Mrs. Mary Boze¬ 
man, of Albany, attended the school. The next year in the middle of the 
term a frame building, with a “stick-and-dirt” chimney and puncheon 
seats, was finished. It stood where Mr. E. C. Parks’ house now stands. 

At this school house preachers began to come and hold meetings. All 
denominations were welcomed. At this school house the Methodist Church 
was organized. 

4 Just one mile east there was another town called “Hillsdale.” There, 
Mr. Joel T. Graves was instrumental in organizing the Presbyterian 
Church and a Sunday School. In these days people began to talk of local 
option and prohibition of the liquor trade. A number of people began to 
canvass this district, which was then in Worth County, in the interest of 
closing the bar-rooms. Dr. J. H. Pickett practiced medicine all over this 
section, then he talked and plead with people he saw to let’s try a dry 
town. Prohibition carried in 1883, to the utter surprise of many indif¬ 
ferent people. 

The town behaved better and built rapidly, soon having three churches 
and a good school. After the town outgrew the one-room school building a 
neat school building was built just in front of where the cemetery is. It 
was called “Mayflower.” Then, in 1905, the citizens built a concrete block 
building, by public subscription, on the present school lot. This building is 
still being used for a lunchroom and canning plant. The blocks of the upper 
story were removed recently, and used to make a school house for our 
colored children. 

In 1931 a new, modern school building was put up with money obtained 
from bonds. Mr. W. E. Williams, father of Mrs. F. B. Pickett, contribut¬ 
ed to the building of four school houses in Ty Ty. 

When Tifton grew large enough to want to be the county seat of a 
county and a new county was to be made, some of the most influential peo¬ 
ple wanted to be in the new county and even made trips to speak before 
the legislature, asking to be included in Tift County. That is why Ty Ty 
district is a jagged line into Worth County. We are still glad we are a 
part of Tift County. 


2. As told by Mrs. Mary Bozeman. 

3. As told to me by Mrs. Mary Bozeman. 

4. As told to me by Miss E. R. S'utton. 



158 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Ty Ty is only half as large as it was in 1920. The cotton warehouses 
all closed when the bank failed in 1926. The turpentine still closed, the 
gum is carried to another town to be worked. We still have a sawmill and 
a great many good farms around. 

The growing of vegetable plants to be shipped to northern markets is 
quite an industry. We have some industrious, progressive men who ship 
plants and gladiolus flowers and bulbs. Among these are M. H. Evans, 
C. A. Harrell, and E. A. Gibbs. 

Two young men, the Sledge Brothers, began a small dairy business near 
here a few years ago. Now they have a large herd of dairy cows and furnish 
milk to a firm in Albany. The pecan is only a side industry, but amounts 
to considerable income each year. The staple crops are corn, peanuts, and 
tobacco. Very little cotton is grown. 

We have a good modern gin, owned and operated by W. H. Vance; a 
grist mill, automobile repair shop, drug store, and six grocery stores. 

Thus the town, begun long ago, is still a small town, with people who 
love you and are kind and neighborly when you live among them, and our 
citizens are as content as those in any town I know. Our colored citizens 
are well behaved, as a rule, and have good churches and schools. Some of 
our colored people have contributed a great deal to the upbuilding of their 
own race. G. J. Lane, a colored preacher, has a wonderful influence for 
good over his people, and often helps keep peace between his people and 
his white friends. 

We are proud of our large oak trees for shade, our small clinic, our good 
school, our three churches, and some noble citizens. 

Many forgotten people were loyal to their community, and were builders 
for good in the early days. The early families came from North Carolina, 
Virginia and South Carolina and built homes among the pines, and raised 
cows on wiregrass. 

Among the first who built homes in and near Ty Ty were the Williams 
family, the children of Ezekiel Williams and Flora McDermit Williams, 
who came from North Carolina, and settled near Sparks. Three of their 
sons came to Ty Ty; they were John Williams, William Williams, and 
Edwin J. Williams. They all contributed to the progress of the community. 

The Gibbs family was another very large family reared a few miles of 
town. The sons who settled near here were Elder James S. Gibbs, who 
preached forty years at Hickory Springs. Allen Gibbs’ son, H. Grady 
Gibbs, lives here. Johnny E. T. Gibbs has five sons living here—Silas Gibbs, 
James Ernest, Edgar A., Carl and Clayton. 

Mr. T. A. Inman came from South Carolina, married Miss Elizabeth 
Murrow, and they were some of our people who sacrificed and labored to 
make life better. Mr. Inman gave the land that the school house is built 
on, giving the major part of his land. He was a wonderful school trustee, 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


159 


visiting the school every week and always a friend to the teachers. 

The Ford brothers came from Oakfield, and were intelligent men and 
successful business men. They were Robert James and Iverson L. Ford. 
J. C. Ford, who lives here now, is a son of James Ford, and Mrs. Lola 
Knight is a daughter. 

Green S. Nelson had many friends here, and he built houses and had a 
mercantile business here. James Nelson, of Tifton, is his son. Mrs. Mary 
Nelson Woodham, of Fitzgerald, is his daughter. 

Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Parks came from South Carolina. They accumulat¬ 
ed property and built a nice home and a brick store building. They were 
generous and loyal to their church and their friends, and left a family of 
sons and daughters. One son, E. C. Parks, and his family, live here still. 

Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Dell came here from Sumter County, when there 
were no bridges across the streams. They were among the charter members 
of the first church built here, the Methodist Church. Mr. Dell kept prayer 
meeting going for thirty years, often walking several miles to be present. 

Mr. Chas. W. Graves was a loyal church member, a man above the 
average in intellect and integrity. He was the first Ordinary of Tift Coun¬ 
ty, the office he held until he died. 

W. C. Thompson was a pioneer citizen of this section. He was an active 
church member, genial, honest, and true, always helping his neighbors and 
friends; never losing patience with their faults, always seeing good in 
every one. 

W. S. Scott was a Christian gentleman, always at work, whistling as he 
went. Suffering reverses with courage. 

W. H. Davis came here from the West. He had lived in a number of 
states. He loved young people, and could interest most people with stories 
and philosophy. He was a watchmaker with personality. 

Some of our citizens in business now are: 

Dr. F. B. Pickett, who came here soon after he was graduated, to begin 
practice with his uncle, Dr. J. H. Pickett, the grandfather of Mrs. O. N. 
Dowd. Dr. F. B. Pickett was reared in Webster County, and began prac¬ 
tice here in 1895. He married Miss Martha Williams, daughter of Mr. 
and Mrs. E. J. Williams, in 1897. Dr. and Mrs. Pickett know by sight 
the names of more people in this section than any one here. They have 
both been very active in progressive moves and church affairs, both being 
officials in the Methodist Church. 

The late Dr. R. R. Pickett came from Sumner here, and practiced medi¬ 
cine with his brother. Dr. F. B. Pickett. Dr. R. R. was very interested in 
progressive farming too. He married Miss Susie Grubbs. They had one 
daughter, who is now Mrs. C. A. Harrell. Mrs. Harrell was graduated from 
Wesleyan, and taught for several years before her marriage. She is n6w 


160 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


president of the Woman’s Society of Christian Service. Her love for folks 
is very generous. Mr. C. A. Harrell was reared in Quitman, Ga. He is 
genial, pleasant and most industrious. His skill in the plant growing and 
shipping means much to this section. He even tried to outdo Mrs. Harrell 
in generosity. 

Mr. Marcus H. Evans settled down on his farm after having attended 
college. He married Miss Maxine Walea. Mr. Evans cultivates and har¬ 
vests many different crops. He delights in growing gladioluses. He succeeds 
wonderfully in growing and selling tomato, pepper, and cabbage plants. 

Mr. W. F. Sikes and his brother, Wylie J. Sikes, are two of the most 
accommodating people. W. F. has been rural mail carrier for 39 years. 

Mr. Edgar Allen Gibbs married Miss Charlotte Alexander, of Nash¬ 
ville, Ga. Mr. Edgar Gibbs, a son of J. E. T. Gibbs, has a large farming 
interest, and has shown his neighbors that cattle raising is still profitable. 
He takes pride in his beautiful herd of cows, but is more proud of his lovely 
daughter, Miss Charlotte Gibbs, a teacher in Tifton High School. She is 
a graduate of Huntington, Ala., College. 

Mr. Ebenezer J. Cottle and his wife, the former Miss Hudie Knight, 
have succeeded wonderfully with lumber business and a big farming inter¬ 
est. Mr. Cottle is deacon in Baptist church. Mrs. Cottle teaches adult 
Sunday School class at the Methodist Church. 

Mr. W. H. Swain, a genial merchant, has been in his business longer 
than any other general mercantile business here. 

Samuel H. Lipps, reared near Albany, Ga., came to this section years 
ago and farmed near here. Now he and his wife, the former Miss Minnie 
Conger, are the friendly people uptown with their store and business and 
they find time to investigate the needs of people in trouble and help, too. 
They are proud of their sons and daughters. Four sons answered their 
country’s call to service. 

Mr. W. C. McCormic was reared in North Carolina, moved here from 
Lenox, and is engaged in naval stores business. Mrs. W. C. McCormic is 
a teacher of outstanding ability in our public school. 

Mr. M. D. Vinson has made the Gulf gasoline station very popular 
with his pleasant manners and his efficient work. 

Mr. C. A. Arnold, who married Miss Ada Adams, is always smiling 
and accommodating, and very courteous in his business. 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Walker live on their own farm, have more 
good things to eat—produced on this farm—than any one near. Charlie is 
deacon in the Baptist Church. His wife, Lula Mae DeVane Walker, can 
smile at her friends and help them in patience always. 

Miss Emma Rebecca Sutton, daughter of Green Sutton and Rebecca 
Welch Sutton, was born in Albany, Ga., in 1848. She was one of our most 
public spirited women. She went to New York as a newspaper reporter 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


161 


years ago, when women had few fields of labor open to them. She wrote 
and made many researches for her employer, Mrs. Hallet, who wrote 
books, but always loved the South and South Georgia, frequently using 
her talent of wit and wisdom defending and complimenting. She was very 
loyal to her church, the Episcopal Church. She was a member of St. Anne 
Church, at Tifton, when she died in 1931. She made her home with her 
sister, Mrs. Francis Owens, after her parents died. In her last years she 
lived alone in her cottage on a small plot of land She had two nieces in 
Waycross: Mrs. R. H. Redding, and Mrs. Mary Watt. She was head of 
the Red Cross Chapter, at Ty Ty, when we had a chapter here, and was 
very loyal to it when it was moved to Tifton. 

To her family she was always loyal. Though she suffered injustices often, 
seldom discussed it and never lost confidence in plain people and never 
thought an honest, Godly, person common. 


CHAPTER XVII 

TIFTON AND TIFT COUNTY EDUCATION 
by Mrs. Nicholas Peterson 

EDUCATION 

In the early days of Tifton’s existence there was no such thing as a 
public school system with any uniform length of term or any salary sched¬ 
ule for teachers then existing in Georgia. Only those who were able hired 
private tutors for their children. Occasionally one man or perhaps a group 
of men would hire someone to teach the children in the community for 
any length of time they could hire the teacher. The most of such schools 
ran from six week to three months duration. The buildings used were more 
often used for storing cotton and housing sheep than for school purposes. 

The first official teacher that can be accounted for, who taught the chil¬ 
dren of this mill village of Tifton was a Mr. William Fish, a friend of 
the Tifts who came down from Mystic, Connecticut, and helped the Tifts 
organize a little school. It was taught in a one-room building located some¬ 
where in the vicinity of the present county jail. It was used for all public 
purposes, church, school, court and any other public meeting. Some of the 
pupils who attended this school are now living in Tifton and supplied 
me with this information: Mr. Jack Golden, Miss Leola Green, Mrs. L. 
C. Spires, and Mrs. Catherine Tift Jones. Capt. H. H. Tift, Col. C. N. 
Fulwood, E. P. Bowen, S. L. Herring, also gave much information. 

After the Georgia Southern Railroad was completed through Tifton in 
1888, Captain Tift laid out the city of Tifton. City officials were elected 
and Tifton began to make progress in earnest. One of the first acts was 
to call a mass meeting where a corporation was formed, and stock was 
sold to build Tifton’s first real school building. 

This building was erected on the corner of Tift Avenue where the 
Primitive Baptist Church now stands. It was called the Tifton Institute; 
it was rather a pretentious looking building. It contained two very large 
class rooms, two cloak rooms, and one small room that was later used 
for a music room. 

Mr. A. L. Murphy was the first teacher to teach in the new building. 
He was assisted by his daughter, Miss Mary Emma, who is remembered by 
several of Tifton’s first music teachers. He taught from 1890-1892. 

Mr. J. R. Hudgens of Mississippi succeeded Mr. Murphy for the next 
two years. 

Mr. E. J. Williams was principal from 1894 to 1895. His sister Miss 
Martha (Mrs. Frank Pickett of Ty Ty) ably assisted him. Mr. Williams 
resigned to accept a position as bookkeeper for Capt. Tift, a position he 


162 



Top—Tifton Grammar School 
Center—Tifton Junior High School 
Bottom—Tifton High School 











164 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


held until called into the Spanish-American War in 1898. He entered 
with the rank of first lieutenant, being a graduate of Gordon Military In¬ 
stitute. He chose to remain in the service of his country, seeing active duty 
in World War I. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before his 
death in November 1929. His body was interred with the nation’s heroes 
at Arlington. 

Professor John Henry O’Quinn succeeded Mr. Williams and came to 
Tifton in the fall of 1895. He was assisted by Miss Ina Coleman of Clarks¬ 
ville, Tennessee, during the first term. He was considered quite an educa¬ 
tor in this section, and several young men came from surrounding towns to 
study under his leadership. This move necessitated adding more teachers 
to his faculty. In the fall of 1896 Miss Edna McQueen of Nashville, Ten¬ 
nessee, was added as teacher of primary grades. Miss Myrtle Pound, of 
Jackson, Georgia, as music teacher, and Miss Sallie Perry, of Little Rock, 
Arkansas, as expression, or rather elocution as it was called in those days. 

Miss Pound and Miss McQueen met their fate in Tifton during that 
year. In the summer of ’97 Miss Pound married Mr. E. J. Williams, and 
Miss McQueen married Dr. Nichols Peterson. Mrs. Peterson is still liv¬ 
ing in Tifton with just as much interest in the schools of Tifton and Tift 
County as the first day she landed in South Georgia. Mrs. Williams spends 
most of her time in Jackson, Georgia, with her sisters. 

Mr. W. L. Harman was elected to take Mr. O’Quinn’s place during 
the summer of ’97. He accepted on condition that he be allowed to bring 
his entire faculty from Chipley with him. Under his capable leadership the 
school was properly graded for the first time and competent teachers put 
in charge of each grade. The school had a phenominal growth during his 
four years administration. He was a born leader as well as a great educa¬ 
tor and endeared himself to all with whom he came in contact. All Tifton 
rejoiced when he returned after a few years absence to make his home un¬ 
til his death. He served as the very efficient Tift County School Commis¬ 
sioner from 1929-1934. 

Emerson says: “History is but the biography of a few great men.” Un¬ 
fortunately he did not tell us who were great. In that instance we shall 
draw our own conclusions as to whom to term great. 

First, I shall choose Arthur J. Moore. This boy grew to manhood 
and received in a crude building all the schooling he got until after 
he was married. His schoolmates in the village of Brookfield enthusiastical¬ 
ly relate many of his pranks. They say that he was never known to open a 
book, yet he easily outstripped the most studious members of his class, so 
alert and active was his mind. 

The picture of the school house he first attended proves that it is not at 
all necessary to have gilded halls and palaces in which to mold and shape 
human character. Does there exist a county, city, state or nation that would 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


165 


not be proud to claim him as a son ? Surely Tift county is bursting with 
pride to know that it was our happy privilege to give to the world one of its 
greatest citizens—Bishop Arthur J. Moore. 


TIFTON AND TIFT COUNTY EDUCATION 
ANNIE BELLE CLARK SCHOOL 

by Mrs. N. Peterson 
1906-1947 

When this school opened its doors for its first term in the fall of 1906 
it was known as Tifton High School. Tifton was proud of its first fine 
brick school building and thought it would serve for all time to come, 
so commodious did it seem in comparison with the old building, left behind 
on Tift Avenue. It remained Tifton’s only high school until 1917 when 
the sides began to bulge with children crowded into every conceivable space. 
Another building was the only solution. 

The new high school building was completed and the six higher grades 
bade farewell to the old school and moved in for the first term in the fall 
of 1917. The old school then became and was the Tifton Grammar School 
until 1943 when its name was again changed to the Annie Belle Clark 
School in honor of its faithful beloved teacher, who remained at its head 
for thirty-one years. 

Miss Clark came to Tifton as teacher of the primary class in 1910. 
When the school had to have a new principal when the school was divided, 
the board did not hesitate to promote her to the position. Many changes 
were made in the building at her suggestion. She had the old basement 
remodeled and put in such good condition that they were able to have a 
nice assembly room, a large room for preparing and serving hot lunches 
daily by the P.-T.A., to the student body, also an extra class room. The 
P.-T. A. mothers were of great help in all of this improvement. 

There was rarely a resignation or vacancy in her school. The teachers, 
as well as the children, were devoted to her. Miss Annie had only to speak 
and her request was granted. Several of the present faculty have been with 
the school almost as long as Miss Clark. In 1943 Miss Clark had a serious 
illness which was to such extent that it forced her to resign. Mrs. W. H. 
Walters and Mrs. G. O. Bailey were appointed to take charge until a 
principal could be secured. Miss Elizabeth Yow, of Martin, Georgia, was 
elected principal and began with the Annie Clark Grammar School in 
September, 1943. Many improvements have been made in the past three 
years. Five new teachers have been added to her staff, making twenty teach¬ 
ers in the school. Public school music is taught to all grades by Mrs. Agnew 


166 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Andrews. Two new electric victrolas have been purchased ; each teacher is 
furnished with a pitch pipe for each classroom; art is also taught in each 
grade. Many new books have been added to the school library including 
a set of musical appreciation and other reference books for the use of the 
teachers, a new moving picture machine has been installed. Hundreds of 
dollars worth of playground equipment has been placed on the campus. 
Last, but not least, a new annex was added last year to take care of four 
of the grades. This building cost $26,211.00. 

It has been said that a “nation moves forward on the feet of its children.” 
If this statement be true, then surely Tifton school children are on the 
forward march. 


G. O. BAILEY, JR. 

(Copied from the Tifton Gazette) 

Mr. Bailey came to Tifton in July 1928, as principal of the high school 
and football coach. In 1931 he was elected superintendent and has held 
that position for fifteen years. Under his leadership much progress has been 
made by the schools. During his administration, the high school band, public 
school music, commercial courses enlarged, vocational agriculture, public 
school art, boys and girls glee club, physical education for all the students, 
full time librarian, lunch room program in all three schools in which 
1,500 lunches are served daily, have all been added to the school system. 
Also during his administration the gymnasium, a vocational education build¬ 
ing, and a 4-room addition to the grammar school have been erected; the 
high and grammar schools repainted and modernized; and the high school 
annual was reinstated, having been discontinued in 1916. 

Since he has been in Tifton, the band, glee clubs, and athletic teams 
have attained an enviable position in South Georgia. 

Mr. Bailey also values the audiovisual picture showing machine and 
program of study that was instituted in the school seven years ago and is 
proud of the fact that 1,500 students participated in the May Day festival 
this year. 

Professor Bailey, son of Mr. and Mrs. Glen Owen Bailey, Sr., was born 
at Turin. He is a graduate of Senoia High School, and Mercer Univer¬ 
sity. He is a member of the Kappa Delta Phi, national scholastic fraternity. 

He is a member, and past president of the Tifton Lions Club, a mem¬ 
ber of the Tift County Chamber of Commerce and Baptist Church. He 
was president of the Second District High School Association and of Tift 
County Education Association. 

His wife is the former Miss Hazel Humber, of Lumpkin, whom he 
married in 1927, and they have two children, Humber aged 12, and Holly 
aged 10. 




Top—Tifton High School Band broadcasting in 1947 
Bottom—Scene from Tifton High School Glee Club program in 1947 















168 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


MR. W. L. BRYAN 
1917-1918 

Mr. W. L. Bryan, of Atlanta, served Tifton High School as its first 
superintendent for one year. Dr. M. L. Brittain, then state superintendent 
of education, came to Tifton to assist in the dedication exercises. Prof. 
Scraboro, who had been prevented from opening the school on account of 
his health, gave the history of the Tifton schools and Dr. Brittain made 
the principal address. 

Mr. Bryan was well liked, but he resigned at the close of his first term 
to continue his study of law. He is at present practicing law in Atlanta. 


MRS. J. E. COCHRAN 

Mrs. J. E. Cochran came to Tifton, from Roswell, Georgia, in 1905 
as a teacher of the fourth grade in the old Tifton Institute during Prof. 
Jason Scarboro’s administration. She taught one term. During the time 
she met and married Mr. Cochran, Tifton’s first jeweler. She did not 
teach again for a period of about twenty years. After Mr. Cochran’s 
death in 1924, she applied for the position of seventh grade in Tifton 
High School. Here she remained until the junior high school was com¬ 
pleted ; then she was transferred to that building. 

In 1942 when Mr. Alton Ellis, who was then principal of the school, 
was called into the service of his country, Mrs. Cochran was appointed 
to take his place. This position she filled very acceptably until Mr. Ellis’s 
return last year. She once again took up her grade work where she left off 
four years before. 

Mrs. Cochran has contributed a great deal to the educational, social, 
and religious life of Tifton during her long residence. She is one of the 
best teachers Tifton Junior High School has had. 


MR. A. H. MOON 
by Mrs. N. Peterson 
1918-1923 

Mr. Moon came to Tifton in 1918 from the Baxley Public Schools, 
where he had been superintendent for eight years and never once while 
there was the school defeated in a contest by a competitor. 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


169 


He was a graduate of Mercer University, University of Georgia, and 
received his M.A. degree from Northwestern University, Chicago, and 
w as working on his doctor’s degree from the same university at the time 
of his death; he was a Phi Beta Kappa. His refusal of a Yale scholarship 
was on account of illness in the family. 

He exerted every influence towards fitting boys and girls for useful, 
healthful, and happy living. He felt that if in an atmosphere of culture and 
an appreciation of social responsibility were maintained on the school 
grounds, it would be carried over into the daily lives of the young men 
and women of tomorrow. He believed that personal development and self 
motivation might be initiated through such avenues as debating teams, 
essay contests, and other extra-curricular activities. In many of these Tif- 
ton boys and girls won state and district recognition. 

It was his desire that every student might be more eager to learn when 
he left high school; therefore he tried to choose faculty members who could 
not only teach to meet the immediate needs of the students but could also 
inspire them to go farther in their educational pursuits. He was ever alert 
to recognize the best possibilities within any student, and encouraged such 
pupils to avail themselves of every opportunity to help themselves. 

He introduced home economics into the high school for the first time. 
Through the efforts of Miss Nebraska Findley and Miss Mattie Lou 
Phillips, teachers in this department, the sewing room, kitchen and dining 
room were fully equipped. 

Mr. Moon was very civic-minded. He saw that lights were not only 
needed on the front of the building but would add greatly to the attrac¬ 
tiveness of it. 

The South Georgia Methodist Conference was to convene in Tifton 
in the fall of 1922. Mr. Moon asked the board of education to install 
lights before they came. The board felt the city could not afford them at 
this time, so he appealed to the members of the Twentieth Century Library 
Club as a matter of civic pride. Mrs. John Wesson and Mrs. Carl Kim¬ 
berly were appointed as a committee to see this project through. The night 
before the conference was to hold its first session, the beautiful lights, that 
still light the campus of the building, were turned on in all of their glory 
and all Tifton was proud. 

His one plea to the board of education as long as he remained in Tifton 
was for better pay for his teachers. He argued that in education as in all 
other phases of life you got only what you paid for. He said that Tifton 
could not hope to cope with other surrounding towns unless the salaries of 
her teachers were in keeping with those of other places. He finally succeed¬ 
ed in getting the salary of Miss Annie Belle Clark, principal of the gram¬ 
mar school, raised from 90 to 100 dollars, and his primary teachers from 
65 to 70 dollars per month. 


170 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


In the spring of 1923 Mr. Moon’s health began to fail. He was granted 
a leave of absence for two months. He went to Atlanta and entered a hos¬ 
pital for treatment. He had waited too late. On the eve of the graduating 
exercises not only the school but all Tifton was shocked to hear that he 
had quietly passed away. Both he and his efficient wife, who was also a 
teacher in the school had endeared themselves to Tifton people, who mourn¬ 
ed the loss of these valuable citizens. 


MR. R. E. MOSELEY 
1927-1930 

Mr. R. E. Moseley, who was acting principal of the Tifton High School 
during Mr. J. C. Sirman’s administration was appointed to the place of 
superintendent following Mr. Sirman’s resignation at the close of school 
in May, 1927. Mr. G. O. Bailey was elected principal at the same time. 

The most important event of his administration was letting the contract 
for the erection of the Tifton Junior High School on January 7, 1928. 
This had to be done in cooperation with the county board of education. 

The school was completed and furnished in time for the fall opening of 
school. This building served to take care of 225 children in the Tifton 
consolidated school district. It also helped to ease the strain on the over¬ 
crowded grammar school, the fifth grades being transferred to the new 
school. 

Mrs. Nan W. Clements of Montezuma, Georgia was elected as first 
principal. 


PROFESSOR JASON SCARBORO 
1901-1908-1912-1917 

Professor Jason Scarboro moved to Tifton during the summer of 1901. 
He came to accept the principalship of the public school from Statesboro, 
Georgia, where he had been superintendent for several terms. 

At the end of his first term in Tifton he had enrolled 272 students, far 
too many to be crowded into the small space the cld Tifton Institute had 
to offer. By the opening date of his second year he had succeeded in getting 
an addition of three large rooms built. This took care of the first four 
grades for several years. There was no auditorium in which to hold gradu¬ 
ating exercises, public debates, or meetings of any kind. His next move was 
to agitate the question of a real high school building adequate for all pur¬ 
poses. He had to hold his first graduating exercises in the courthouse in 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


171 


1904. The courthouse then was in the third story of the Bowen block on 
the corner of Love Avenue and Mill Street (now Second Street). 

The members of this class were Hains Hargrett, Charlie Garrett, and 
Effie Kent. The class chose as their valedictorian Charles Garrett, who had 
become quite a public speaker and debater for the school. He chose for his 
subject "Good Roads.” He predicted that automobiles, then very new in 
South Georgia, would supplant the horse and buggy. He argued for hard 
surfaced roads from town to town and from farm to market. He contended 
that the public convenience and economy would justify our going in debt 
to meet the heavy expense. His speech was printed in the Gazette and highly 
publicized as being probably the first plea ever made for good roads in 
South Georgia. 

Charles graduated from Mercer University in 1908 with an A.B. 
degree, received his M.A. degree in 1909, and his LL.D. degree in 1911. 
He worked with Judge Park for four years on the Annotated Code of 
Georgia and practiced law in Macon for a number of years. He has been 
solicitor General of the circuit (Bibb, Peach, Houston and Crawford 
counties) since 1919. 

Haines Hargrett graduated from the University of North Carolina, 
Chapel Hill. 

He studied law and rose rapidly in his profession; was associated with 
a corporation of lawyers in Washington, D. C., for a good many years. He 
moved back to Atlanta and was connected with one of the city’s most 
prominent law firms until his sudden death. He married Miss Maud 
Timmons, a Tifton girl who with one son, Haines, Jr., still resides in At¬ 
lanta. 

Effie Kent finished her education at Wesleyan College, Macon, Ga., 
taught school, married a Mr. Hambleton, of Meigs, Georgia. After his 
death she had charge of the postoffice for several years. She is now 
making her home with an only daughter in Thomasville. 

Tifton will long hold in affectionate memory the members of its first 
graduating class, who so highly distinguished themselves and have brought 
honor to their home town and alma mater. 

In 1906 Tifton High School was placed on the accredited list of the 
Association of High Schools. This was made possible by the school being 
able to use the Twentieth Century Library Club’s books. The club was 
then housed in the Wade-Corry building in close proximity to the school. 

Also in 1906 Tifton’s first academy, built by public subscription gave 
place to its first fine new brick building erected at a cost of $50,000. It 
was finished in time for the 1906 fall opening of school. This building is 
now the Annie Belle Grammar School. 

All went well until the summer of 1908. Cordele needed a good man to 
head their schools so in casting about they fell on Tifton and hired Prof. 


172 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Scarboro at a much greater salary than Tifton was able to pay; so we had 
to let him go. Tifton retaliated though in 1912 and brought him back to 
take over the school. 

When Mr. Scarboro returned he found that Tifton population had once 
more outgrown its school bounds. The auditorium of the nice new school 
he had left had been cut up into class rooms and still there was not suffi¬ 
cient room to house the children comfortably. Again the graduating classes 
were forced to seek other quarters for their exercises. 

Always a builder, he lost no time in starting the movement for another 
school building. By 1917 Tifton was the proud possessor of our present 
handsome high school building. It was erected at a cost of $100,000. 

Unfortunately time and hard work had taken its cruel toll of Mr. 
Scarboro’s strength. The doctors advised a leave of absence from his ardu¬ 
ous school duties. It grieved him not to be able to christen the dream of his 
life. It fell to Mr. W. L. Bryan, of Atlanta, to be the first high superin¬ 
tendent of the new high school. 

Mr. Scarboro never saw fit to return to the school room, but continued 
to make Tifton his home as long as he lived. 

Tifton will long cherish the memory of Mr. Scarboro and his fine 
family, who labored so long among us. His work and good deeds will live 
long in the hearts of his innumerable friends. He will be remembered as 
one of the greatest educators in our history. 

Mr. W. G. Davis and Mr. J. M. Mulloy, who filled in during the 
interim Mr. Scarboro was in Cordele were fine men and well liked as 
school men, but neither was strong physically and each had to resign before 
his terms of office had expired. 

Mr. Davis served as superintendent from 1908 to 1910. 

Mr. Mulloy served one year in 1911. 


MR. JOHN C. SIRMANS 
1923-1927 

Mr. Sirmans succeeded Mr. A. H. Moon as superintendent of Tifton 
Public Schools. Anyone following in Mr. Moon’s foosteps naturally had a 
hard job, but Mr. Sirmans proved himself equal to the occasion from 
every standpoint as was evidenced by his rapid promotions in the educa¬ 
tional field. 

During his administration a lady was placed on the board of education 
for the first time. Mrs. W. T. Smith was appointed to this position and 
made an acceptable member as long as she chose to remain as such. She 
served for four years and the board members were very reluctant in ac¬ 
cepting her resignation. They extended to her a vote of sincere thanks and 
appreciation for her valuable services as a member of the board. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


173 


The women of the Twentieth Century Library Club once more came 
into the picture. T ifton’s schools had never had a P.-T. A. The club 
w °men sensed this need. After conferring with Mr. Sirmans a meeting 
of the high school mothers was called and the first P.-T. A. organized. 
Mrs. S. A. Youmans w r as elected as president. It did not take them long 
to realize that this work was too important to be confined to just one 
branch of the school, so Mrs. Youmans and her co-workers reorganized 
and put two strong bodies of interested mothers to work in both of the 
schools later extending to the Tifton Junior High School upon its com¬ 
pletion. This organization is considered by all today as one of the strongest 
forces in the entire school system. 

In the fall of 1929 Mr. Sirmans tendered his resignation as superintend¬ 
ent to become dean of men at the newly created South Georgia College for 
Men. This position he held as long as the College functioned. When it be¬ 
came the Abraham Baldwin College the Board of Regents at the Univer¬ 
sity of Georgia appointed him as dean of education at Dahlonega, a position 
he is still holding with distinction. 

IDA BELLE WILLIAMS 
Principal 1940-1947 
(Copied from Tifton Gazette) 

Miss Ida Belle Williams, recognized as one of the most outstanding 
English instructors in the state, has resigned as principal of Tifton High 
School. 

Miss Williams has brought honor to the Tifton High school by her asso¬ 
ciation with the school, her educational background, and her accomplish¬ 
ments. The school has been extremely fortunate to have had her services 
as English instructor for 15 years and as principal for 6 years. Citizens 
hope that she will remain as head of the English department. 

Since Miss Williams has been teaching English in Tifton the work has 
been commended by the English Commission of Georgia and individual 
college teachers. Some of the G.M.C. professors, who have taught in other 
colleges, state that they can spot her English students. Some of her stu¬ 
dents have been exempt from freshman English on account of placement 
tests. 

The Tifton High School has received prominent recognition for unique 
graduation exercises, which Miss Williams introduced in the school. In 
these exercises, the graduates honor prominent Georgians and Georgia in¬ 
stitutions. Last year the graduating class paid tribute to the press of Geor¬ 
gia. 



174 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Miss Williams has an M.A. degree from Johns Hopkins University and 
University of Georgia. She has studied at Columbia University, Univer¬ 
sity of Tennessee, University of Georgia and Bessie Tift College. She has 
had recent correspondence courses in English and creative writing. She has 
won a scholarship to the Richard Burton School of Creative Writing; 
won prizes in the State Parks contest for writing a feature story about 
Indian Springs; won a letter writing contest sponsored by the Atlanta Con¬ 
stitution; a prize with Scott Foresman for a project about “Silas Marner;” 
one of her stories was considered for a $1,000 prize by Reader’s Digest; 
and honor in her college studies. Her feature stories have been accepted 
by the best magazines and newspapers in the country. Her teaching ex¬ 
perience includes high schools in Georgia and she was assistant professor of 
English at Winthrop College, Rock Hill, S. C. 

The Talisman, the Tifton High school annual, was dedicated to Miss 
Williams last year in recognition of her work with the school and the 
esteem in which she is held by the student body and faculty. 

Miss Williams, daughter of the late Robert James and Mary Elizabeth 
Camp Williams, was born in Swainsboro, Georgia. She was the first woman 
in Georgia to make a nominating speech for a congressman. 


MRS. DAN SUTTON, MISS FOLLIS, MISS SHAW 

We have followed with a good deal of interest and pride the careers of 
a few of the teachers who began their work as pioneer teachers of the 
newly created Tift County. We shall consider only those who have never 
deserted the fold for other professions. They are Mrs. Dan Sutton of Tift 
County, who is librarian at present for the Coastal Plain Experiment 
Station; Miss Fannie Shaw, of Adel, Georgia, who is now at the head 
of the department of health and public welfare at the Woman’s College, 
Tallahassee, Florida; and Miss Hattie B. Follis of Nashville, Tennessee, 
who has been principal of the Baker Street School, Birmingham, Alabama, 
for over thirty years. 

Miss Hattie Bess Follis of Nashville, Tennessee, came to Tift County 
to begin teaching the first year the county was created. Her first year was 
at Omega, the second at Ty Ty. The last three years in the county she 
had charge of the fourth grade in the Tifton Public School. After leaving 
Tifton she went to the Quitman Public School, where she remained for 
three years. She next went to Birmingham, Alabama, where she was elect¬ 
ed principal of the Baker Street School in Ensley where she is still as 
active, seemingly, as she was over thirty years ago. 

During these thirty odd years of service she has so endeared herself to 
the Birmingham system that she could have her choice today of any posi 
tion in their keeping, but she still remains true to the place where she be¬ 
gan. Some of the positions of honor she has held are: 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


175 


President—Delta Kappa Gamma, Honorary Society for Women Teach¬ 
ers. 

President—Birmingham Teachers’ Association. 

President—Alabama Branch of Peabody College Alumni. 

President—Of the Elementary Principals’ Club. 

Co-author of Friendly Hour Readers, published by American Book Com¬ 
pany and used in Tift County. 

Miss Follis received her A.B. degree from Birmingham-Southern Col¬ 
lege and M.A. degree from Peabody College, Nashville, Tennessee. 

In addition to all these projects, she finds time to teach a class in Ensley 
Methodist Church. She is also a member of the choir and serves on the 
board of stewards of the church. 

Stella Caudill Sutton (Mrs. Dan Sutton) teacher and librarian, was 
born at Owenfork, Kentucky. She married Dan T. Sutton of Tift County 
on June 6, 1913 and came to the Harding Communtiy that year to make 
her home. She has been an active worker in the civic and church life of 
Harding and perhaps no one has had a greater influence in the progressive 
development of her community and county than has Mrs. Sutton. She has 
always had a class in Sunday School and has been an active member of the 
board of stewards. She is a charter member of the Harding Methodist 
Church. 

Aside from her home duties, such as rearing a good family, she has never 
relinquished her hold on her fist love—that of the school room. She taught 
in the Harding School for thirteen years, at Brighton one year, at Chula 
eight, and at Omega three, being principal of the Omega High School the 
last two years. She was one of the best teachers of the county. 

Mrs. Sutton organized the first P.-T. A. in Tift County, at first called 
“School Improvements Club,” and was president of the Tift County Coun¬ 
cil of P.-T. A. for several years. She was the first teacher in the county 
to take students on a trip at the close of school. She was president of the 
Tift County Teachers’ Institute for one year. Mrs. Sutton is now libra¬ 
rian for the Coastal Plain Experiment Station. 

She has always been a staunch supporter and builder of libraries and 
was an active promoter of the bookmobile. She was chairman of the Tift 
County Purchasing Committee when she became librarian at the Experi¬ 
ment Station. 

When Mrs. Sutton began teaching she did not have a degree. As soon 
as her children, Murris and Mildred, were old enough to take care of 
themselves she began studying each summer at college summer schools 
until 1943 when Teachers’ College at Statesboro conferred on her the 
A.B. degree. 

All of Mrs. Sutton’s accomplishments have been no small job for any 


176 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


one, especially a mother. We congratulate her on her attainments and 
appreciate her services for Tift County. 

Miss Fannie Shaw of Adel, Georgia, a native of South Georgia, of 
whom we are very proud, taught several years in Tifton and Tift County 
when the county was young. Since she did not have a degree when she be¬ 
gan teaching, Miss Shaw requested a leave of absence and registered at 
Columbia University where she later received the A.B. and M.A. degrees. 

She became so much interested in health education, one of her major 
subjects, while attending Columbia University that she attracted the at¬ 
tention ,of some of the faculty. The authorities of the university offered her 
a position on the staff. While connected with the school she and one of the 
leading members of the staff were co-authors of a textbook on health edu¬ 
cation. 

She returned to Georgia on account of her parents’ health. The State 
Health Department secured her services as state supervisor of health in 
schools of North Georgia. Dr. Abercrombie reluctantly released her on two 
occasions to accept a place as director of public health in two large mid- 
western universities during summer terms. 

At present she holds the chair of health and public welfare in the Wom¬ 
an’s College, Tallahassee, Florida. 


HISTORY OF ABRAHAM BALDWIN AGRICULTURAL 
COLLEGE AND PRECEDING INSTITUTIONS 
(George King) 

A detailed history of the various State educational institutions, from 
the Second District A. & M. School beginning in 1908 through Abraham 
Baldwin Agricultural College now enjoying its largest enrollment, would 
require too much space and would inevitably leave out some facts or per¬ 
sons who should be included. For that reason, only the high points will be 
touched. 

The Second District A. & M. School was established as one of the 
twelve district schools of the State, which were authorizel by an Act of 
the General Assembly in 1907 during the administration of Governor Ter¬ 
rell. Tifton and Tift County were able to have the school located at Tif¬ 
ton because of the public spiritedness of its citizens. Capt. H. H. Tift 
donated 315 acres of land and the citizens of Tifton and Tift County, 
rich and poor, gave generously to raise money to defray one-half of the 
cost of erecting the three original buildings. It is interesting to note here 
that during subsequent years, regardless of the name of the institution, this 
fine spirit and generous attitude have always prevailed among the citizens 
of the city and county. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


177 


The Second District A. & M. School opened its first term on February 
19, 1908. Only boys were allowed to board during this first term, although 
girls in the vicinity attended. Opening day was declared a holiday by Tif- 
ton. Stores and the public school were closed. A special train was run from 
Tifton to the school and some 1,200 people attended. 

Mr. W. W. Driskell was president of the school for the term begin¬ 
ning February 19, 1908, and also for the year beginning in September 
1908. Judge Frank Park was the first chairman of the Board of Trustees. 
The institution remained an A. & M. School until June 1924. During this 
time only high school work was given. 

The presidents serving the Second District A. & M. School and their 
terms were as follows: 

W. W. Driskell—February 1908 to June 1909 

W. G. Acree—September 1909 to June 1910 

S. L. Lewis—September 1910 to June 1912 

J. F. Hart, Jr.—September 1912 to June 1914 

S. L. Lewis—September 1914 to June 1924 

Because of the growth of high schools in the towns over the section, 
the necessity of maintaining district high schools became less, and the Legis¬ 
lature of 1924 changed the Second District A. & M. School to South 
Georgia A. & M. College. Mr. S. L. Lewis who was president of the Dis¬ 
trict School became president of the college. Mr. R. C. Ellis was Chair¬ 
man of the first Board of Trustees. The college offered only Freshman col¬ 
lege work the first year and dropped the first year of high school work. 
Each succeeding year a high school grade was dropped and a college class 
added, until the institution was giving only college work. 

Mr. S. L. Lewis resigned in June 1929 after 16 years of faithful and 
unselfish service. He was succeeded by Mr. F. G. Branch, who took over 
the duties of president in September 1929. During the summer of 1929, 
the Legislature changed the name of the college from South Georgia A. 
& M. College to Georgia State College for Men. Mr. R. C. Ellis was the 
first Chairman of this Board of Trustees and served as such until the Col¬ 
lege was placed under the newly formed Board of Regents of the Univer¬ 
sity System on January 1, 1932. 

In 1933, the Board of Regents asked permission of the General Assem¬ 
bly for “power to consolidate, suspend, or discontinue institutions and 
merge departments.” The permission was granted upon the signing of the 
bill by Governor Talmadge on February 21, 1933. 

On April 17, 1933, the Board of Regents announced its consolidation 
plans, which included the abolishing of many of the State units. The Board 
directed that the Georgia State College for Men be abolished and that a 


178 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


two-year College of Agriculture, to be known as the Abraham Baldwin 
Agricultural College, be established in its place. This was somewhat of a 
shock to the people of Tifton who were justly proud of the four-year col¬ 
lege. However, as they had always done, as soon as the objectives of the 
new college became known, the citizens rallied to its support and have been 
to a large measure responsible for its success. 

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College started its first term in Septem¬ 
ber 1933. The enrollment for the freshman class that year was 63. The 
September enrollment 13 years later was 467, including an overflow unit 
of 150 men students located at Spence Field, Moultrie, Ga. 

Dr. J. G. Woodroof was President for the 1933-34 term. He was suc¬ 
ceeded by Mr. George H. King, who has been President to the present 
time, September 1946. In November 1942, Mr. King was also made Di¬ 
rector of the Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station upon the death 
of Mr. S. H. Starr, who had been director since the founding of the Sta¬ 
tion in 1919. At the time Mr. King assumed double duties, Mr. George P. 
Donaldson, who had been with Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College 
since its founding and had served for a number of years as Dean of Stu¬ 
dents, was made Executive Dean. This is the administrative setup at the 
present time. 


ABRAHAM BALDWIN 
by E. Pickard Karsten 

Abraham Baldwin, for whom Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, 
of Abac, near Tifton, is named, is also honored by having named for him 
Baldwin County, whose county seat, Milledgeville, was once the capital 
of Georgia. 

Like Tifton’s founder, Henry Harding Tift, Abraham Baldwin was a 
native of Connecticut. Born in 1754, he graduated from Yale at the age 
of eighteen and earned the reputation of being one of the best classical 
and mathematical scholars of his time. For part of the time during the 
Revolutionary war he was a professor of Yale, and for part of the war 
period he was a chaplain in the Continental Army. 

At the close of the American Revolution Baldwin studied law. Georgia 
about that time offered inducements to immigrants and Abraham Baldwin 
came South, arriving at Savannah in 1784 and was immediately admitted 
as a councillor at the Georgia bar. He established his residence in Colum¬ 
bia County and so quickly gained the confidence of his fellows that they 
elected him to represent them in the legislature. 

Possessed of a literary and scientific mind, Baldwin had a high regard 
for learning and he is credited with being the originator of the plan of 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


179 


the University of Georgia, formerly called Franklin College. He drew up 
its charter and persuaded the legislature to adopt it, and thus was instru¬ 
mental in establishing in Georgia the first state university in the United 
States. 

In 1786 Abraham Baldwin went to Washington as a member of Con¬ 
gress and thereafter served either in the House or the Senate until his death. 

The year after Abraham Baldwin entered congress his father died. 
Baldwin assumed the care and support of his six orphaned half-brothers 
and sisters. His father’s estate was in debt but he paid off the indebtedness, 
quit-claimed his share of the inheritance to his brothers and sisters, and 
educated them, largely at his own expense. He never married. 

To the Federal Convention which in 1787 framed the Constitution of 
the United States, Abraham Baldwin was a delegate from Georgia. He 
was active in the Convention and to him is credited the influence which 
resulted in the existence of the United States Senate. Baldwin and William 
Few were the two Georgia signers of the Constitution. 

In 1802 Abraham Baldwin was one of the Georgia commissioners who 
signed the treaty of session of Georgia’s western territory to the United 
States. That year also he was president pro tempore of the United States 
Senate from April to December but in 1903 he declined re-election be¬ 
cause he preferred the floor to the presiding officer’s chair. 

Nathaniel Macon in a conversation with Col. Tatnal declared Baldwin’s 
eloquence of a high order and his reasoning powers equal to those of any 
statesman in Congress. 

Of gentle manners but firm character and pure morals, of a high order 
of mind, well educated and with extraordinary eloquence, Abraham Bald¬ 
win was a man of rare personality and lofty attainments. 

Faithful to his duties, Baldwin missed but one day from his seat in 
Congress during twenty-two years. He died suddenly at Washington, 
March, 1807. By his going a nation was saddened. 


TIFT COUNTY INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL 
by Mrs. N. Peterson 
Prof. E. O. Bynes, Principal 

In writing of the growth of the Tift County Industrial School, I should 
give credit where credit is due. I shall begin with a bred and born 
colored boy by the name of Johnny Wilson, son of Henry and Maria 
Wilson, who came to Tifton with Capt. H. H. Tift. Henry helped to 
build the saw mill and worked as a mill hand as long as he lived. Aunt 
Maria, his mother, is still living in Phillipsburg. She is very old but her 



180 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


mind is quite alert, and she can relate many interesting facts concerning 
the early history of Tifton. 

Johnny Wilson received what training he could from the ramshackle 
negro schools of Tifton. He was ambitious for an education; so he went 
to Booker T. Washington’s School in Alabama; finishing there he returned 
to Tifton, fired with a determination to do something for the colored school 
children. 

He taught for several years in the old Unionville School house, located 
next door to the first old Shiloh Baptist Church. He appeared time and 
again before both the county and city boards of education pleading for 
assistance to build a decent school building. He always received a vote of 
sympathy and a promise to aid financially as soon as they were able. 

He w T as not easily discouraged. He next solicited the aid of his white 
friends. Mrs. H. H. Tift and Mrs. N. Peterson helped in every way they 
could. As was Capt. Tift’s custom, he donated six acres of land on which 
the present school building is located. 

Johnny’s next move was to appoint a group of his young colored friends 
to begin raising a building fund. This task he accomplished by giving sup¬ 
pers, dances, and other public forms of entertainment. It was not long 
before they had enough to enable them to start on their new building. They 
tore down the old school house and salvaged all material available for the 
new structure. 

When the public and the county and city boards of education realized 
his determination to succeed they came to his rescue and donated $900.00 
in order to complete the building in time for the opening of the fall term 
in 1917. 

Mrs. Tift and Mrs. Peterson were asked to name the school, but we 
felt that Johnny Wilson deserved that honor; so he gave it the name of 
Tift County Industrial School. When he had accomplished his mission, 
he resigned to accept a better job in the Augusta schools, where he remained 
until his death. 

This wooden two-story building took care of all the negro school children 
in the Tifton school district for ten or twelve years. With its meager equip¬ 
ment and poorly trained teachers the school did not make the progress that 
it should have made during these years. There are many colored men and 
women in Tifton who owe their start to one old faithful teacher who 
mothered the school through all of its trials and tribulations. I am speak¬ 
ing of Lucy McKinnon, who could never qualify for even a third grade 
certificate. This handicap did not keep her from coming before the board 
each year to take the examination. The board was finally forced to drop 
her from their rolls on account of strict law T s requiring all teachers to hold 
higher grade certificates. 



Top—The one-room school attended by the beloved Bishop Arthur Moore 
as a boy. 

Center—Omega Consolidated school, typical of the school in each district 
of the county. 

Bottom—The Brookfield Consolidated school, successor to the one attended 
by Bishop Moore. 






182 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


In 1928 the county board of education hired Prof. J. M. Deas from 
Adel as principal of the school. From that day the school has steadily moved 
forward. Prof. Deas was not only an educator of note but a splendid execu¬ 
tive. He was his own truant officer going out and compelling the parents 
to send the children to school. 

He next began working for a larger and better building. It was not 
until 1931 that the city and county boards with the Rosenwald aid granted 
the request to build a new brick building—the cost not to exceed $10,000. 
The negroes agreed to raise $1,500, the city $1,500, the County $2,500. 
Rosenwald $4,000 and to furnish same. This left a deficit of $500 which 
the county finally decided to pay. 

Aside from his school duties Prof. Deas did much to raise the standard 
of living among the negroes of Tifton. He reminded them that as a race 
they had a duty to perform toward society for making a better community 
in which to live and rear their families. All Tifton joined with the negroes 

in their sorrow over the sudden death of a true friend of education and 

humanity. He laid a firm foundation on which his successors found it 
easier on which to build. 

Prof. Emerson O. Bynes was elected principal of the Tift County In¬ 
dustrial School in 1941. He had hardly begun his work when World 

War II slowed down his activities as it did all other schools in the county. 

However, with the government aids and other donations from other 
sources he was able to make progress. In 1941 with Mrs. Hazel Brantley 
as NYA supervisor and his students doing all of the labor, they were able 
to complete their vocational building and equip it at the cost of about 
$4,000. 

A large number of his students went into the service of their country, 
and so far the records prove they rendered valiant service. 

During the past three years the school has almost doubled its attendance 
necessitating enlarging the building. Several of the smaller colored schools 
in the county were closed and two steel buses were bought to bring their 
children to Tifton to school. He now has a teaching staff of 23 as against 
13 when he took charge. With the assistance of a well organized P-TA 
he has been able to add $1,200 worth of play-ground equipment to the 
campus, pay $200 for a new curtain for the stage, pay $1,200 towards buy¬ 
ing new chairs for their auditorium; he has $1,000 in the bank for instal¬ 
ling new sanitary equipment throughout the buildings. The P-TA serves 
hot lunches to about 600 pupils daily. They have installed a public address 
system with a loud speaker. The office is well furnished with the latest 
cabinets and cases, a typewriting machine, and three mimeograph machines. 
The library is fairly well equipped. 

They have a fine music department, a good glee club of both boys and 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


183 


girls. They publish a school paper twice each year. They are fully accredit¬ 
ed in the association of high schools. 


TIFT COUNTY’S FIRST SUPERINTENDENT 
OF EDUCATION 


Mr. W. R. Smith 
1906-1910 

After the establishment of Tift County the Grand Jury met in October 
and named the following men to constitute the first county board of educa¬ 
tion: Mr. Briggs Carson, Mr. J. N. Horn, Mr. G. W. Crum, Mr. P. D. 
Phillips and Dr. F. B. Pickett. Dr. Pickett is the only surviving member 
of the original five. He served continuously and most effectively until his 
services, on the draft board of World War II became so heavy that he 
had to resign from the board of education. 

On Nov. 3, 1905, the members of this board having received their com¬ 
missions from the state superintendent of education, Mr. W. B. Merritt, 
met and were duly installed by Col. H. S. Murray. Mr. Briggs Carson 
was appointed chairman and Mr. J. N. Horn as acting secretary until the 
election of a county superintendent. The time for the election was set to 
take place on Dec. 4, 1905 after being advertised for ten days in the Tif- 
ton Gazette. 

Mr. W. R. Smith and Prof. Jason Scarboro announced as candidates 
for this office. They took the required examination and both qualified. A 
secret ballot was taken and Mr. Smith was declared the nominee having 
received three of the five votes cast. 

After making satisfactory bond, Mr. Smith was sworn into office and 
assumed the duties as Tift County’s first commissioner of education Jan. 1, 
1906. 

A special meeting of the board of education was called for the purpose of 
arranging a schedule of teacher salaries. The county had been notified that 
her apportionment of funds for the year would be $4,619. With his in¬ 
formation the following rates were fixed. 


White teachers—First grade license-$30.00 per mo. 

White teachers—Second grade license-25.00 per mo. 

White teachers—Third grade license-20.00 per mo. 

Colored teachers—First grade license-25.00 per mo. 


for five months 
for five months 
for five months 
for five months 



184 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Colored teachers—Second grade license._ 18.00 per mo. for five months 

Colored teachers—Third grade license_15.00 per mo. for five months 

Mr. Smith’s salary was fixed at $300.00 per year with no maintenance 
fund or traveling expense. At that time the state did not put any money 
into the salary of county superintendents. His work was doubly hard on 

account of the fact that his home was in Eldorado and he did not own 

any kind of conveyance. This did not deter him in the least in starting out 
on foot to accomplish all that had to be done. How he ever covered the 
county and did the work that was done is almost unbelievable. He tells of 
one occasion on coming into Tifton late one night after walking all day 
speaking in interest of local tax and did not have enough money to buy a 
train ticket to Eldorado; so he climbed the three flights of steps to the 
courtroom in the Bowen Building and slept on one of the hard wooden 
benches. The next morning he started on the same mission, speaking at 
three different schools that day. 

Before the opening of the schools in the fall the board voted to raise 
Mr. Smith’s salary to $60.00 per month. He assured them that he was 
being paid all he was worth as he had to learn by experience how to con¬ 
duct the county’s educational affairs. He also stated that as long as the 
school children had to sit on soap boxes instead of comfortable desks, he 
should not accept any more pay. 

The first real work the board, with Mr. Smith’s assistance, had to do 
was to establish the school districts. This work meant that existing lines 
had to be changed, some new schools established and a few eliminated. This 
was not only a hard task but one fraught with many misunderstandings, 
quarrels and hard feelings, which in the end made Mr. Smith so unpopular 
that he was not only defeated when election time came again, but suffered 
indignities of which the county should always feel ashamed. 

When the work was completed the following school districts were estab¬ 
lished: Ansley, Branch Hill, Brighton, Brookfield, Camp Creek, Chula, 
Eldorado, Emanuel, Excelsior, Fairview, Filyah, Fletcher, Glover, Hard¬ 
ing, Hat Creek, Little Creek, Midway, Mt. Zion, Myrtle, Nipper, Oak 
Ridge, Old Ty Ty, Omega, Pearman, Pine View, Salem, Ty Ty, Vance- 
ville. There were about a dozen colored schools located in the county. 

In 1906 the board of education voted to pay $200.00 on the new artificial 
stone building being erected at Ty Ty, provided they would agree to wait 
until the end of the year for the money. They also voted to pay Mr. J. F. 
Ross $20.00 per month to transport the children in the Ty Ty district 
to the Ty Ty school in a one-horse wagon. Was this transportation the be¬ 
ginning of our fine steel bus system of today? Let’s take a little trip back 
to the Brookfield community. I always enjoyed talking with Mr. E. P. 
Bowen, Sr., about the school situation as they were when he was a young- 



TIFT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION 
Top row—E. L. Patrick, Omega District, chairman. R. G. Harrell, Tifton 
district. 

Center row—W. D. Doss, Chula District. M. H. Evans, Ty Ty District. 
Bottom—J. C. Branch, Chula District. 






186 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


ster in school. In one of our early conversations he told of years before 
there was a railroad anywhere in this section of Georgia how his father 
used to take his wagon and gather up the few children who lived great 
distances apart and take them to and from a little log school house just a 
few miles north of the present day thriving Brookfield community. If I 
should be asked to choose the first bus line this would be my first choice. 
Out of this frontier determination to acquire knowledge has come the 
sturdy Bowen line that has been and still is among Tift County’s most suc¬ 
cessful builders. 

In 1907 after seeing the results of having highly trained teachers work 
in the schools, the board of education ruled that in order to teach in the 
county, a teacher must hold a first grade certificate, attend normal school, 
have had three years experience in teaching and must not be addicted to 
the liquor or tobacco habit. 

In February 1908, Mr. Smith asked the board for the privilege of 
closing all the schools in the county in order that his teachers and pupils 
might attend the opening of the new Agricultural and Mechanical School 
and also inspect the first agricultural train to stop in Tifton. Little did we 
dream at that time that this same little school with only 37 pupils, on open¬ 
ing day, would develop into one of the greatest educational institutions not 
only in Tifton but the entire state. I proudly refer to Abraham Baldwin 
College. 

In March 1908 Ty Ty was the first school in the county to apply to 
the board for a seven months term. This petition was granted, the board 
agreeing to pay one-half of the extra months expense. 

Mr. Smith worked hard to secure local tax, longer school term, better 
paid teachers and greater improvement in every respect for the entire school 
system. When his four years’ work was ended he had remodeled every old 
school building, painted every one white both inside and out and secured 
as much up to date equipment as possible with the limited funds he had. 
The school fund had increased from $4,619 to $16,000; 33 teachers in¬ 
stead of 21 functioning in 28 white schools. 

Much ground had been broken, foundations laid, construction begun 
but hard tasks still lay ahead for those who were to follow and take over 
the helm. 

The picture represents the entire faculty of Tift County’s first school 
year. When we consider that at that time Georgia had no state salary 
schedule nor any uniform length of term; that it was almost impossible 
to find anyone willing to board the teachers, especially the women, we feel 
that this special group should be hailed as the new county’s real pioneer 
teachers and should receive special commendation for their work. 

Mr. Smith moved to St. Marys when he left Tift County and has been 
actively engaged in all movements for the betterment of Camden County 



First corps of Tift County Teachers (1907) and Tifton Gazette correspondent 
Ladies standing in the back row, left to right, Miss Carrie Fulwood, Miss Florence Hill, 
Miss Maude Burns (Mrs. W. T. Smith, Sr.) 










188 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


for thirty-five years, having served the county as superintendent of educa¬ 
tion for several terms. His health failed a few years ago forcing him to 
retire. His many friends in Tift County were grieved to hear of his death 
a few days ago. 


TIFT COUNTY" SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION 
Mr. R. F. Kersey 
1911-1916 

Mr. Kersey’s administration as superintendent of Tift County Educa¬ 
tion was not one to be envied. A good many people in the county had not 
as yet accepted the changes that had been made during the previous adminis¬ 
tration. This antagonism combined with other difficulties created a difficult 
situation for a man of Mr. Kersey’s easy-going nature to handle. 

The high standard set for teacher qualifications coupled with the fact 
that it was next to impossible to secure homes for them made the hiring 
of high-grade teachers almost prohibitive. Employment of local talent be¬ 
came necessary. Many of these were young men and women with little or 
no experience who could not qualify for more than a third grade certificate. 
Naturally there began a decline in curricular activities. 

Mr. Kersey also inherited part of World War I which did not add 
anything to the morale of the county. The thinking public soon sensed 
that the educational status of their county had reached a low ebb and that 
something must be done to relieve the situation. 

An educational department had been set up in the original plan of work 
in the Twentieth Century Library Club; so the members of this organiza¬ 
tion volunteered their services whenever or wherever needed. They con¬ 
ferred with Mr. Kersey and the members of the board of education and 
made some suggestions that both seemed to appreciate and promised to co¬ 
operate in every plan that would work for the betterment of the county. 

One of the first suggestions acted upon was the holding of a teachers’ in¬ 
stitute at the end of each month. The club women served a free lunch each 
month. Some of the members assisted in arranging programs for these 
meetings that were both helpful to the teachers in their work as well as 
entertaining. In order to vary the monotony of those teachers living away 
from home the women would entertain them occasionally over the week¬ 
end in their homes. This courtesy the teachers appreciated very much. 

I remember on one occasion having two young ladies over the week-end. 
In the course of conversation I asked them how they entertained themselves 
in the evenings. One, being rather witty said, “On clear nights we put 
ourselves to sleep by counting the stars through our roof; on nights when 
it rains we keep busy moving our bed from place to place trying to keep it 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


189 


dry.” Each of these girls walked three miles each morning in opposite 
directions to their schools. Can you feature even one of the students doing 
such a thing at the present time? 

“Adopting a Rural School” became the slogan for our Educational Pro¬ 
gram in our club. Two women were assigned to each of the twenty-eight 
schools. They were told to adopt any method they saw fit to help improve 
the school and community. Visiting the schools back in those days was almost 
impossible. Automobiles were very few and the roads so bad that about the 
only contact was through the teachers and patrons when they would be in 
town. A great deal of good work was accomplished however. Books were 
lent to be read to the children. Some small libraries were started in a few 
of the schools which made provision for taking care of them. I got caught 
in rather a predicament in the school that had been assigned to me. On 
one of my visits I told the children if they would make up money and buy 
a book case I would see that they got enough books to fill it. In less than 
a week they sent me twenty dollars to buy their book case with the order 
that the books must accompany it. Maybe I did not have to get busy to 
carry out my promise. An SOS w’as sent out to my friends to come to my 
rescue. I never knew how the news reached a Boston, Massachusetts libra¬ 
rian, of whom I had never heard, but to my utter surprise one morning 
the expressman unloaded a large box on my porch; and on opening it, I 
found nearly one hundred good books suitable for school children. It did 
not take me long to get them out to my little school and Camp Creek 
School was the proud possessor of the first rural library in the county. 

Dr. M. L. Brittain was then state superintendent of education for 
standardizing all schools in the state. Some of the conditions to be met 
were: all buildings should be in good condition; there were to be no 
broken window panes; buildings should be well heated; all wells must be 
covered; each child should have individual drinking cup; sanitary toilets 
must be installed; each school must have at least one or two shelves of 
books toward a start on a library; and must own a good dictionary. All 
floors must be oiled to allay the dust; a square of tin must supplant the old 
germ laden sand box under the stove; the schools were urged to put up 
basketball courts or any other playground equipment possible. 

In order to stimulate the schools to quicker action the club women came 
into the picture again. Some very valuable prizes were offered, including a 
piano donated by one of the members who had moved away. They assisted 
the teachers in arranging and holding box suppers to raise funds for much 
of the equipment they had to buy. They secured nearly all of the books 
for the library shelves; donated a number of good pictures for each school 
room, potted plants for windows; most of the schools were supplied with 
shades and curtains; cut flowers were always in evidence on the teachers’ 
desks. Seven schools entered the contest for the piano and all worked to- 


190 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


ward obtaining the certificate for the standard school. When the day came 
for the judges to decide the winner of the piano, all of the schools were in 
shining readiness. Two people living out of the county were selected to 
serve with Prof. J. L. Lewfls, President of the A. and M. School, and Prof. 
Jason Scarboro, superintendent of Tifton Schools, as judges. The Excelsior 
school won the piano with all six of the others as close seconds. 

Two school fairs were held in Tifton that would have done credit to 
most any county fair today. Prizes were given for contests in music, 
reading, declamation and athletics in addition to those for school work and 
manual arts. The people of Tifton will long remember the parade of those 
happy school children through town to converge at the Courthouse where 
they helped put on an interesting program. A basket dinner was served 
and a general good time was had by all. In the presence of the happy chil¬ 
dren neighborhood differences were forgotten and out of it all grew a 
quickened sense of larger opportunities and responsibilities for the rural 
school and a better knowledge of the service it could render. 

It was during Mr. Kersey’s administration that Tift county had her 
first health officer. This was due to the influence of Col. R. C. Ellis, 
author of the Ellis Health Law. He got the board of education to accept 
the services if the Rockefeller Foundation in sending one of their em¬ 
ployees to assist the county authorities in ridding the county of hook worm. 
Dr. T. F. Abercrombie, our very efficient Secretary of State Board of 
Health, made his debut in health work in Tift County. So new was this 
idea to our rural folk that had the announcement of the presence of a voo¬ 
doo doctor in our midst, no greater consternation would have been caused. 
Many parents ordered their children to come home the minute the strange 
doctor visited their school. The doctor likes to relate that on one occasion 
a little ten year old boy was seen to jump from a window and run like a 
turkey when he drove up in front of the building. So badly did we need 
this work it was found that out of 1,400 adults and children examined 
1,200 active cases of hookworm were found. Most of them were given 
treatment. 

World War I intervened and put an end to most of our forward move¬ 
ment. 

Mr. Kersey served but one term. When he left Tifton he moved to 
Florida where he continued in the ministry until his death a few years ago. 


MR. A. J. AMMONS 
County Superintendent of Education 
1917-1929 

During the summer of 1911 there came to Tifton a young man by the 
name of A. J. Ammons, who had just graduated from Martha Berry’s 




TIFT COUNTY EDUCATORS 

l op row—Mercer R. Mitcham, superintendent of Tift County Schools. C. 
B. Culpepper, Tift County’s veteran farm demonstration agent. 

Bottom—Miss Edna Bishop, Tift County home demonstration agent. 


mm 




192 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


School near Rome. Having decided to make teaching his profession he 
applied to the county board of education for a position as teacher in Tift 
County. He was accepted and was placed in charge of the Harding school 
at a salary of $40 per month. 

He was elected as principal of the Omega School the next year. They 
raised his salary to $60 per month. He remained at the head of this school 
for five years. It was here he met and married Miss Janie Bozeman, of Ty 
Ty, who was also a teacher in the school. 

Mr. Ammons was a young man of unusual intelligence, with a scintillat¬ 
ing personality, always vibrating in human interest. He attracted this at¬ 
tention of the public and made many friends throughout the county. 

When the time came to elect the next county superintendent his friends 
announced him as a candidate for the office. He was easily elected. 

After receiving his commission and meeting all requirements, he was 
sworn into office on January 1, 1917. He held this office for twelve years. 
Many things of vital import in the county occurred during his administra¬ 
tion. 

In 1918 the board agreed to pay $40 per month towards the salary of 
the first home economics teacher in the county. They likewise agreed to 
pay one half of the salary of G. W. Burton (colored), the first vocational 
agricultural teacher, who was employed by the Tift County Industrial 
School. On account of lack of space, poor equipment and little interest, 
this work was done on a very small scale; yet it marked the beginning of 
a great movement in the schools of the county. 

Another great movement was inaugurated during this year—that of 
planning for the first consolidated school. There were more small schools 
around Chula than any other school; so a large delegation from that sec¬ 
tion asked for permission to meet with the county board of education to 
discuss the merging of some of the smaller schools with Chula. The idea 
was met with favor, but much planning and hard work lay ahead for all 
parties concerned. It was not until 1922 that Chula’s new brick building 
was completed. The small schools of Pearman, Fairview, Hat Creek, and 
part of the Fletcher school closed their doors and moved into the first con¬ 
solidated school building in the county. From that date forward consolida¬ 
tion became the order of the day. Buses had also replaced the horse and 
wagon as a means of transportation for the children. 

In 1919 the legislature passed a law whereby the state could pay each 
County Superintendent $50 per month. The Tift County board subse¬ 
quently raised Mr. Ammons’ salary to $75 per month with an additional 
$25 for expense of operating his own car. This enabled him to hire some 
office help which gave him more time for visiting the schools and looking 
after many other details. 

In 1922 Mr. J. S. Royal, a representative of the Tifton Gazette, and a 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


193 


great lover of music, met with the board of education and asked that 
music be installed in all of the schools as a regular branch of study. The 
board thanked him for his interest, but said that it would have to be left 
up to the individual schools as there were no public funds available for 
such. 

In 1924 the board agreed to take over from the county commissioners 
the full payment of the salaries of the farm and home demonstration agents. 
This made possible by the Acts of 1922 Georgia School Code for same. 

By 1926 each of the twenty-eight small schools with the exception of 
Oak Ridge and Emanuel had been consolidated into seven schools. Each 
one housed in spacious, comfortable, attractive brick buildings. All were 
furnished with the most modern equipment. All had basketball courts, 
Parent-Teacher Associations, and served hot lunches to most of the chil¬ 
dren. County-wide curricula activities were rapidly taking place. 

In 1929 the board of education did their first humanitarian act for the 
Negro children of the county by electing Prof. J. M. Deas, of Adel, as 
principal of the Tift County Industrial School. From then on matters 
began to pick up for that school. (This school will be considered under 
separate article.) 

Mr. Ammons did a great deal of work with both the county and city 
boards of education in planning for the creation of the big Tifton con¬ 
solidated district. This meant establishing the lines of full twenty-four lots 
of land and part of eight others. The carrying out of the plans and the 
erecting of the Tifton Junior High Building fell to the lot of his successor, 
Mr. W. L. Harmon. 

When Mr. Ammons finished his work as superintendent of education in 
Tift County there had been as previously stated the consolidation of all but 
two schools; sixteen transportation routes established transporting one 
thousand children to and from high school each day. Every phase of educa¬ 
tional work had been raised to a higher standard and much other valuable 
work for the county in general accomplished. The board of education and 
all with whom Mr. Ammons had to deal expressed themselves as well 
pleased. 

On vacating the office of superintendent he did not sever his relations 
with the schools. Chula happened to be without a principal at that time 
so he stepped in and taught two years for them. Omega then called him 
back to take charge as principal for that school. He remained with them 
for nine years. 

When Alma High School was in need of some one to head its school 
and offered a better salary Mr. Ammons accepted the position. 

Two years ago his retirement was in order, but on account of the teacher 
shortage Alma prevailed upon him to continue teaching still. He has bought 


194 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


a home in Alma with considerable acreage and says he hopes to spend his 
later years in quietude. 

In a recent letter from Mr. Ammons he says: 

“It is a pleasure to know that I had a small part in the constructive work 
of the Tift County Schools. I want to express my deep appreciation to the 
various members who composed the board of education. Some have gone 
home to glory but many are still living. I am greatly indebted to the mem¬ 
bers of the Twentieth Century Library Club for their assistance in the 
early days of our consolidation. I remember distinctly how they visited 
the schools and helped to sponsor various projects. 

“In my long association with the county the dream of my life almost 
came true. If the work with the boys and girls helped to build character, 
instill higher ideals, stir ambition and aspiration I should be happy. And 
I am.” 


MR. W. L. HARMAN 
County School Superintendent 

1929-1934 

It seemed almost that the cruel hand of fate stepped in and took matters 
in hand when Mr. Harman took over the reins of the county’s school sys¬ 
tem. The country was plunged into the most terrible depression in its his¬ 
tory. Instead of being able to make the progress that one of his training, 
experience and love for the higher things of life, he was forced by circum¬ 
stances to shorten the school term, lessen the teachers’ salaries and curtail 
every other means of improvement for lack of funds. 

Knowing Mr. Harman, as most of us did, we felt that this condition 
almost broke his heart and no doubt did help to shorten his life. 

In order for the county to keep the Rosenwald aid we had to assist in 
the campaign to remove adult illiteracy. For this work Mr. Harman called 
for volunteers to teach at night for a period of six weeks. The following 
white teachers responded: Prof. A. J. Ammons, J. C. Sirmans, Mr. and 
Mrs. A. D. Dean, Mr. W. C. Bryan, Miss Marian Ragan and Mr. J. 
C. Adams. Four colored people were taught to read and write. 

Mr. Harman had the pleasure of supervising the construction of the 
splendid junior high school building and almost within the same year wit¬ 
nessing its total destruction by fire. This added another burden of planning 
and rebuilding in time for the next term of school. This program necessi¬ 
tated so much extra work that the board of education appointed Mr. 
Charles C. Harman to assist his father in the office. 

Mr. Harman was of great assistance to Prof. Deas in building the new 
Tift County Industrial School which the county finally approved, and 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


195 


donated the sum of $500 toward its erection. 

Mr. Harman was re-elected at the close of his four years work and had 
just finished the first year on his second term when he died. 

The resolutions passed by the board of education express the sentiments 
of the entire county. 

“We take this method of expressing our sympathy to his loved ones and 
we call upon all who loved him to bow in humble submission to God’s will 
in calling him home and to lift hearts of gratitude and rejoicing that we 
were privileged to know him and work with him in the schools of Tift 
County. 

“We rejoice for his long life, his wonderful school work, his love of 
children and his fellow man, his undying interest in the education and 
welfare of the children of this county and state. 

“Therefore, be it resolved that a copy of this resolution be spread upon 
the minutes of this Board of Education, and that a copy be sent to the 
family of Mr. Harman as a testimonial of our sincere appreciation of his 
usefulness, not only as superintendent of the Tift County Schools, but also 
as a citizen of Tift County. 

“Tift County Board of Education.” 


Mr. Charles C. Harman 

TIFT SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION 

1935-1937 

Mr. Charles Harman was appointed by the Tift County Board of 
Education to fill the unexpired term of his father, Mr. W. L. Harman. 

He was a young man of superior intellect and his training under the 
guidance of his father well qualified him for the duties of the office which 
he was seemingly filling in an acceptable manner until his tragic death, 
which occurred on May 5, 1947* 

“Whereas, the life of Charles Goodman Harman, our late superintend¬ 
ent has come to an untimely end, and 

“Whereas, for a number of years he served the schools of this county 
both as clerk in the superintendent’s office and later as superintendent of 
schools, we, the members of the Tift County Board of Education, wish to 
express our genuine sorrow and keen regret caused by his going. It is im¬ 
possible to understand the mysteries of life and death. We do not attempt 
to divine the infinite but only recall the warm personality which was so 
recently among us. 

“Therefore, be it resolved that we express our heartfelt sympathies to 
the loved ones who mourn his passing and pray the light of Heaven to ever 
guide them during the dark hours of life. 

“Tift County Board of Education.” 



196 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


FACULTY MEMBERS TIFT COUNTY SCHOOLS 
1946-47 TERM 

Brookfield—W. M. Melton, Principal; Margaret Booth, Martha Dean 
Jenkins, Mamie Moore, Mrs. H. D. Lee. Mrs. W. M. Melton, Norma 
Touchstone, Mrs. Warren Tucker. 

Chula—E. W. May, Principal; Ethelene Pirkle, Mrs. J. Wilbur Ty¬ 
son, Mrs. Mary Pollette, Marjorie Gibbs, Helen Melton, Mrs. Henry 
Barfield, Mrs. Mattie Carroll. 

Eldorado—F. J. Moon, Principal; Mrs. Morgan Greene, Mrs. Clara 
Wells, Billie Rowland, Agnes Marchant, Mrs. Geo. Julian, Mrs. B. R. 
Stocks. 

Emanuel—Mrs. R. R. Moore, Principal; Kathleen Page, Eula Daniels* 
Willord Massey. 

Excelsior—Mrs. A. D. Dean, Principal; Murl Rountree, Mrs. D. B. 
Spinks, Mrs. G. C. Avery, Lois Horne. 

Harding—Mrs. J. M. Rooks, Principal; Lena Gordon Williams, Mrs. 
J. M. Elrod 

Omega—G. M. Schlegel, Principal; A. O. Lee, Voc. Ag. Teacher; 
Emily Thomasen, Homemaking; Mrs. Bertha Rollins, Marjorie Sim¬ 
mons, Mrs. Lois Griner, Ruby Young, Mrs. Estelle McFarland, Mrs. L. 
Bass, Mrs. Lucy S. Gibbs, Mrs. C. G. Weeks, Annette Shannon. 

Ty Ty—Howard Evans, Principal; Mrs. J. L. Monk, Mrs. H. C. 
Gibbs, Mrs. Hazel Fowler, Reba Arnett, Mrs. Judith Chesnut, Mrs. W. 
C. McCormic. 

Frances Benson, County School Supervisor. 

Virginia Quattlebaum, Visiting Teacher. 


TIFT COUNTY 

Superintendents of Education: 

Mr. W. R. Smith—Jan. 1, 1906—December 31, 1910 
Mr. R. F. Kearsey—Jan. 1, 1911—Dec. 31, 1916 
Mr. A. J. Ammons—Jan. 1, 1917—Dec. 31, 1928 
Mr. W. L. Harman—Jan. 1, 1929—Dec. 31, 1934 
Mr. C. E. Harman—Jan. 1, 1935—May 5, 1937 
Mr. W. T. Bodenhamer—May 12, 1937—Oct. 17, 1939 
Mr. C. F. Hudgins—Oct. 17, 1939—Dec. 31, 1940 
Mr. M. H. Mitcham—Jan. 1, 1941— 

First County Board of Elucation: 

Mr. Briggs Carson, chairman, Dec. 9, 1905; Mr. P. D. Phillips, Mr. 
G. W. Crum, Mrs. J. N. Horne, Dr. F. B. Pickett. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


197 


Present County Board of Education: 

Mrs. E. L. Patrick, Omega District; Mrs. L. W. Whiddon, Chula 
District; Mrs. J. C. Branch, Brookfield District; Mr. M. H. Evans, Ty 
Ty District; Mr. R. W. Harrell, Tifton District 


M. H. MITCHAM 

1941 - 19 — 

Mr. Mitcham may well be termed the war superintendent of the county, 
as he had to fight many local battles throughout the length of World War 
II on account of ever changing conditions and - general unrest, which 
naturally follow such conditions. 

To read the minutes of his administration one marvels that he managed 
to keep his schools intact, with teachers resigning to accept war jobs or to 
go to some other place where higher salaries were being offered. These 
conditions did, to a certain extent, lower the standing as many emergency 
certificates had to be granted to those who were less qualified, but simply 
offered their services as a patriotic duty. 

He and his board are to be congratulated on holding things together 
and accomplishing as much as they did under the existing circumstances. 

In 1941 the county w^as declared out of debt for the first time in its 
history. In order to progress you must have funds, so it was not long be¬ 
fore we were in debt list again, but many new projects were in the making. 

All schools were operated for nine months for the first time in the his¬ 
tory of Tift County and without aid from the school district. All buses 
were county-owned and all steel for the first time. 

Lunch rooms in every white school in the county were operated for the 
first time. 

The Bookmobile and County Library Program was greatly expanded, 
having over 2,500 volumes, which are circulated and read many times dur¬ 
ing each year. 

The Tift County Board of Education has offered more financial assist¬ 
ance to county schools than ever before in the school history. 

The Tift County Industrial school with N.Y.A. assistance built its 
vocational building at a cost of $3,500 to the County. 

In 1943 the schools of the county completed 67 courses in woodwork, ele¬ 
mentary electricity, care and repair of farm machinery. Six hundred- 
seventy participated in this program. Several canning plants were installed 
in which 97,000 cans of fruits and vegetables were processed. The Omega 
school qualified for Victory School. All schools cooperated in every war 
request and drive. 

On October 30, 1944, the first nursery school in the county was estab- 



198 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


lished in connection with War Public Works. In order to secure better 
teachers the board voted a 25% increase in teacher salaries. A letter was 
sent to the county representative urging that he work for a 50% teacher 
increase of salary in the state. 

The new state compulsory education law was put into effect. 

In 1944 the Tifton Board of Education and the county commissioners 
met with the County Board of Education to discuss final plans for new 
vocational building to be erected on the high school campus in Tifton. 
Each agreed to pay one-third of the cost of building which was to cost 
$19,570.00. 

In 1946 the county suffered a distinct loss in the death of Miss Lucy 
McKinnon. 

The county now owns property at $300,000.00 valuation: $230,000 
white schools—$40,000 colored school. Eighteen buses owned and operated 
daily over 40 routes. A hundred teachers are employed. 

The county board is erecting maintenance shops for buses now. This 
work will make it possible to save the taxpayers of the county many dol¬ 
lars, for repairs have been one of the greatest expenses. 


CHARLES LUTHER CARTER 

Charles Luther Carter, the first Tift County teacher to retire under 
Georgia’s new retirement law, was born near Jackson, Butts County, 
Georgia, Jan. 1, 1880. He is a first honor graduate of Jackson High 
school. In 1903 he received an A.B. degree at Mercer University. He was 
editor-in chief of the Mercerian in his senior year. In 1930 he received 
the Master’s degree at Mercer. 

He has been a teacher for thirty-seven years, thirty-five of which were 
taught in Georgia. He has served as president of Green and Cook County 
Teachers’ Associations. In thirty-seven years of teaching he has lost only one 
day on account of illness,. He has held the superintendencies at Pelham, 
Union Point, Ballground, Morven, Ray City, Lenox, Ty Ty, Excelsior, 
and Enigma. 

His residence has been in the vicinity of Tifton for past seventeen years. 
In J 935 he purchased his present home in Tifton. Perhaps he has visited 
more Tift County homes than any other individual. In 1940 he took Tift 
County business and population censuses. Also he registered three school 
district censuses in this county. Deeply interested in Christian training, he 
taught six years in church schools and has been director of Baptist Training 
Union of Mell association for past three years. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


199 


CHAS. F. HUDGINS 
I939-I94I 

For the third, and we hope the last, time, the Tift County Board of 
Education was compelled to appoint some one to fill the unexpired term of 
their County Superintendent of Education. 

In this instance it was not hard to make a selection, as Mr. Chas. F. 
Hudgins was well and favorably known in educational circles of the 
county, having been assistant principal of the Chula school for two years 
previous to this appointment. His scholastic attainments, highly approved 
Christian character, and his universal social appeal made him acceptable 
to all concerned. 

He took over the reins of the county affairs on October 9, 1939, serving 
the remainder of Mr. Bodenhamer’s term, or until the next election in the 
fall of 1940. 

Mr. Hudgins came into office on the crest of the government wave of 
alphabetical letters, WPA, CCC, PWA, NYA. He at once set about to 
avail himself of all that each had to offer the county. 

The Twentieth Century Library Club had already been operating under 
the WPA in extending their library services to the county schools. Mr. 
Hudgins began to work with the club women and helped to secure the 
present bookmobile. This was done by the county furnishing the body for 
the chassis, for which we paid seventy-five cents an hour until paid for. 

In dedication of the Bookmobile to the county, a public program was 
given on the front lawn of the courthouse. Mrs. N. Peterson was given the 
honor of christening it in the name of Tift County Bookmobile. Participat¬ 
ing in these exercises were: Mrs. N. Peterson, originator of Tifton and Tift 
County’s first libraries; Mr. S. A. Youmans, City Manager; Mr. C. F. 
Hudgins, County Superintendent of Education; Mrs. Estelle Fisher, City 
Librarian; Mrs. Ruth Thornhill, County Librarian; Mrs. J. J. Clyatt, 
Chairman Library Commission; Mrs. C. B. Culpepper, Member Library 
Commission; Mrs. Dan Sutton, teacher in the county (1908) to whom 
Mrs. Peterson lent the first book to be read to the school children, thus 
paving the way for the first rural school library. 

Mr. Hudgins must have credit for several firsts in the county during his 
administration. 

All schools were operated for eight months at the expense of the county 
and state boards. 

Four schools extended their term to full nine months, with local as¬ 
sistance. 

A supervisor for the primary and elementary grades was employed, filling 
a long felt need. 

The WPA and NYA funds enabled the schools to provide additional 


200 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


help, and make it possible to serve milk and hot lunches free to all the 
children. 

An NYA supervisor was employed to visit all schools and assist the local 
help in preparing and serving nutritious food. The girls were taught to 
preserve large quantities of vegetables, furnished by patrons, to be used 
in the next year’s lunches. 

All schools were required to fly the U. S. flag during the hours school 
was in session and to give the salute to the flag. 

The board of education voted that in order to be. eligible all school prin¬ 
cipals must hold a four years’ professional certificate from the state depart¬ 
ment of education. 

Mr. Hudgins has been associate professor of education in charge of 
guidance and training at the University of Georgia since leaving Tift 
County. 

On April i, 1947, he was made national chairman of vocational guid¬ 
ance and supervision. 


W. T. BODENHAMER 
1937-1938 

Mr. Bodenhamer was appointed by the Tift County Board of Educa¬ 
tion to fill the unexpired term of Mr. Chas. C. Harman, whose death 
occurred on May 5, 1937. 

Mr. Bodenhamer possessed all of the attributes of capable leadership 
and proved himself an executive of ability during the short time he filled 
the office. His job was very much complicated, but he greatly endeared him¬ 
self to the board, by the masterly manner in which he solved some of the 
problems to which he had fallen heir. 

He worked unceasingly for everything that would be for the highest 
and best interest of the county. Every phase of work was raised to a higher 
standard. He placed the welfare of the school children of the county above 
all else. He was instrumental in getting all-metal bodies for the school 
buses, thus better insuring the safety of the lives of the children. 

That he was an educator of outstanding worth was proved by the fact 
that during the summer of 1939 he was appointed to a much higher posi¬ 
tion by the State Department of Education, that of State Supervisor of 
Education. 

The board was very loath to release him, but in doing so they felt they 
were relinquishing him for a much greater field of service. They extended 
a special vote of thanks and appreciation for his work in the county, and 
wished for him every success in his enlarged service for the enrichment of 
a greater number of people. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


201 


Mr. Bodenhamer is now president of Norman Junior College, at Nor¬ 
man Park, Georgia. 


ALTON ELLIS—1947 

An excerpt from an article written in the Tifton Gazette when Mr. 
Ellis was elected principal of the Tifton High School gives a sketch of 
his life: 

“Mr. Ellis is one of the most outstanding young men in the state. He is 
an honor graduate of Griffin High School; received his bachelor of science 
degree at Georgia Teachers’ College, Statesboro; and is a candidate June, 
1947, for his master of education degree at the University of Georgia. 

He has had nine years of experience as teacher and principal in Georgia 
Schools. He came to Tifton in 1941 as principal, stayed one year, and then 
enlisted in the United States Army. He returned to the Tifton Junior 
High School in 1946 and has underway an exceptional program for that 
school . . . 

He has Asiatic-Pacific theater ribbon with Bronze Star, American 
Theater ribbon, and good conduct medal. Mr. Ellis, 32 years old, is 
married to the former Miss Margaret Hicks Thompson, of Dublin, and 
they have one son, William West Ellis, seven months old.” 


MRS. NICHOLAS PETERSON 
by Ida Belle Williams 

Mrs. N. Peterson (Edna McQueen) was born in Florence, Alabama, 
but her home until after her marriage was Nashville, Tennessee. In 1896 
she came to Tifton to teach, and in 1897 married Dr. Nicholas Peterson. 
She has one son, Malcolm. 

Mrs. Peterson has held every office in the Twentieth Century Library 
Club, which she organized in 1905. She was president of this club after 
M rs. H. H. Tift had held the office for thirty-one years. At present Mrs. 
Peterson is parliamentarian of the club. 

She has received local, state and national recognition for a renaissance 
in Tift County rural education. Mrs. Peterson conceived the idea of hav¬ 
ing the Twentieth Century Library Club adopt rural schools in Tift 
County and improve them. Details of this project are given in Chapter X 
of this book. 

This educator has received many honors for her contributions to educa¬ 
tion and other worthwhile causes. She is director for life of Georgia Fed¬ 
eration of Women’s Clubs, the highest honor one can attain. She is now 
historian for Second District Federation of Women’s Clubs. She was NYA 




202 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


director for six counties during the war. The Second District Federation 
of Women’s Clubs gave in Mrs. Peterson’s honor the Edna McQueen 
scholarship for a worthy Second District student who wished to attend 
Abraham Baldwin College. Mrs. Peterson also received from the Georgia 
Division Field Army American Cancer Society a citation of honor and a 
certificate of appreciation. In 1940 she received a medal for the most out¬ 
standing club work in Second District. She is a life honorary member of 
Adel Women’s Club. The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (nation¬ 
al) at Salt Lake City, Utah, presented Mrs. Peterson a pin in recognition 
of her achievement. The Twentieth Century Library Club presented her 
a loving cup. 

She is a member of Georgia Historical Society of Research, a member 
of Georgia League of Women Voters, on Board of Public Welfare, a 
member of U. D. C., and chairman of rural education. Mrs. Peterson was 
the first Georgia Woman delegate to Democratic Convention in New 
York. She served four years on Board of Education for Milledgeville School 
for Boys. 

Mrs. Peterson has sung in the Metholist choir in Tifton for forty-five 
years. 

In 1914 she spoke on rural education at the General Federation of 
Women’s Clubs in Chicago; in 1916 she gave a similar address at the same 
type of meeting in New York. 

"First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear” 

One who has lived amidst and observed the growth and unfolding 
of a community such as has taken place here on our coastal plain in South 
Georgia, can but exclaim: “What God hath wrought!” The growth 
and development here has been truly wonderful. Only a few years ago this 
was a piney wilderness covered with wire grass. Today it is a land flowing 
with milk and honey. The pines and wire grass have given way to fertile 
fields and vineyards, with every road and highway dotted with beautiful 
homes and contentment, with villages and cities, and a civilization that 
would do credit to the foremost section of our great country, and withal 
a citizenry educated, refined and cultured, and prosperity abounding every¬ 
where. 

But all this achievement did not just happen. It required long and tire¬ 
some days, a strong faith and indomitable courage. The way of the pioneer 
is always long and hard. Whether it be to pass over unknown seas and 
discover new worlds; to climb mountains and traverse dark wildernesses; 
to discover the glory and beauty of freedom to those who have long sat in 
darkness and been bound in chains of slavery, the pioneer’s way is diffi¬ 
cult. That which makes his work doubly hard is that he is so often mis¬ 
understood and must work alone. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


203 


If space would permit I could name a long list of pioneer families of 
this section out of which came a noble strain worthy to take their place 
with the mighty who have brought things to pass. 

These were the men who struggling against the foes of nature to free 
themselves from the bonds of illiteracy, saw, had faith and dreamed, and 
had courage to make their dreams come true. Nothing great has ever been 
done that was not some time a dream. Along with these were the splendid 
native people who caught inspiration from these men of vision and joined 
with them and worked for the things which we now have and enjoy. 

Simultaneous with the dawn of civilization was the art of teaching; in 
fact, had there never been a school teacher, there would not have been 
civilization. Whatever has been accomplished here and everywhere has 
been done through education. Education is both the foundation and the 
means by which all noble and worthy things have been built. 

There could have been no school without teachers. These faithful 
evangels of light came early to our section. They began their work in log 
cabins far back among the pines with the children of the humble. Part of 
their mission was to plead for the cause of education, plead for better 
houses and equipment, and last, for a little better pay for the arduous work 
they were doing. These beginnings back in the little one-room school 
houses were torches flashing their gleams out in the wilderness of illiteracy; 
they were lighthouses on the beach of time, throwing out light to warn 
and guide the mind to better things. All hail to the pioneer school teacher 
who toiled and labored, many times without straw for their bricks, to 
build the noble and beautiful walls and temples of knowledge here in our 
Southland. 

I believe Poor Richard said: “Great oaks from little acorns grow; great 
streams from little fountains flow.” 

In our half century of progress we have come a long way, but even 
though the scope and character of our educational work has become broad¬ 
er and more inclusive we are still studying the needs for better homes, better 
citizenship, better library advantages, more money spent for education— 
thus the cycle comes back to a new beginning in an atomic age. We are 
pioneers still! 

“So I speak not for myself, but for the age unknown. 

I caught the fire from those who went before, 

The bearers of the torch who could not see 

The goal for which they strained, I caught their fire, 

And carried it only a little beyond; 

But there are those that wait for it, 

I know, those who will carry it on to victory 
I dare not fail them, Looking back, 

I see those others—with their arms outstretched, 

Pointing to the future.” 


204 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


CHAPTER XVIII 
CHURCHES 

THE BROOKFIELD BAPTIST CHURCH 

The Brookfield Baptist Church was organized on May io, 1896. The 
charter members are: Mr. and Mrs. I. S. Bowen, Mr. and Mrs. I. W. 
Bowen, Sr., Mrs. N. A. Bowen, Mrs. J. L. Gay, Mrs. Mary J. Gibbs, 
Mrs. W. E. Gibbs, Mrs. Mattie Henderson, Mrs. Melissa McCrea, Mr. 
and Mrs. W. A. Patten, Mrs. Willie S. Patterson, Mr. A. J. Pope, Jr., 
and Mrs. Dollie Reynolds. Mrs. J. L. Gay and Mrs. Mattie Henderson 
are the only living members of the charter group. 

The Reverend J. A. Cox and the Reverend W. I. Patrick organized 
the church. The other ministers were: The Reverend C. M. Crowe, the 
Reverend T. J. Harring, the Reverend J. C. Moore, the Reverend D. C. 
Rainey, the Reverend L. L. Batts, who was instrumental in adding Sun¬ 
day School rooms to the present building; the Reverend W. M. Taylor, 
the Reverend C. W. Willis, and the Reverend Rex Whiddon. The Rever¬ 
end Albert Crowe is the present pastor. 

The first church, a one-room building used for religious services and for 
school, is still standing. The present church, which has eight Sunday 
School rooms, was built in 1900. 

I. W. Bowen, Jr., the only minister from the membership of this church, 
was ordained in 1946. He received the call to the ministry in 1943 and 
began last fall his courses at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 
Louisville, Kentucky. 


BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FIRST BAPTIST 
CHURCH OF TIFTON 

In the early days of Tifton, a little village which grew up around a 
large saw mill operated by H. H. Tift, brave pioneers began to plan for a 
Baptist Church. In cooperation with the State Mission Board, work was 
begun, and by 1889 a Baptist church was established with a small member¬ 
ship but a triumphant faith. 

The first pastor, C. M. Irwin, who served about a year and J. L. Under¬ 
wood, 1892-1894, were supported jointly by the Mission Board and the 
infant church. The first building was destroyed by fire about 1894. 

In 1895, a brick building was erected during the pastorate of F. T. 
Snell, 1895-1896. Me. Snell, an Englishman, was a protege of Spurgeon. 
It was at this time that the church became self-supporting. For five years 
P. A. Jessup, a distinguished gentleman with goatee, led the growing con¬ 
gregation. In 1903-1904, C. G. Dilworth was the pastor and was described 
as “an interesting and wide-awake minister.” 

The coming of Henry Miller, 1904-1908, marked the second phase in 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


205 


the development of Tifton Baptists. In his pastorate the commodious build¬ 
ing now in use was erected in 1906. It was of the latest architectural plan 
containing rooms for the Sunday School. In 1909-1910, A. J. Reamy, a 
highly educated and splendid preacher, served the church. 

The longest pastorate was that of C. W. Durden, 1911-1922. The 
church grew rapidly and expanded its program. Friendly and forceful, Dr. 
Durden was greatly beloved and was given up reluctantly. In 1921, the 
budget was $6,000, and the membership had reached the 500 mark. 

F, C. McConnel began his ministry in 1923. His youthful vigor and 
splendid personality added zest to the program of the church, and his pas¬ 
torate which ended in 1927, was especially fruitful. Succeeding Dr. Mc- 
Conley in 1928 was George C. Gibson, who served effectively until 1934. 
In spite of the depression years in this agricultural area, the church con¬ 
tinued to move forward under the guidance of Dr. Gibson, and the evan¬ 
gelistic fires continued to burn brightly. During this pastorate the mem¬ 
bership crossed the 900 mark. 

The pastorate of F. O. Mixon, 1934-1943, marked the third stage in 
our history. His splendid leadership and church-wide support resulted in a 
great advance. An educational building was erected in 1938 to house the 
greatly enlarged Sunday School which had for the first time been depart- 
mentized. This modern plant increased the effectiveness of the Sunday 
School and Training Union. 

The present pastor, Davis M. Sanders, succeeded Dr. Mixon in the 
summer of 1943. Property has been purchased for the building of an ad¬ 
ditional educational plant, and $31,000 has been raised for this project. At 
the last meeting of Mell Association, the church reported a membership of 
1,409, total receipts for the year of $44,546.35, and property valued at 
$100,000. 

An outstanding characteristic of the church has been the spirit of harmony 
and good will. Never has there been an experience of discord which has 
characterized many churches. Marked confidence in the leaders has been a 
significant factor in our progress. Complete harmony exists. 

Outstanding individuals have given full support. From the earliest days 
consecrated manpower explains the uniform strength of the church. Such 
leaders as W. W. Timmons, B. T. Allen, B. T. Cole, W. H. Love, E. P. 
Bowen, J. D. Duncan, W. S. Cobb, Jason Scarboro, W. H. Spooner; such 
Sunday School Superintendents as J. K. Carswell, Briggs Carson, I. D. 
Morgan, 1918-1937; E. P. Bowen, Jr., 1937 to date; and many other 
workers recall to our people the vital part played in the cause of Christ. 

From the beginning until her death in 1936, Mrs. H. H. Tift was a mov¬ 
ing spirit whose powerful influence only God can properly evaluate. Al¬ 
though not a member, her husband fully cooperated in Mrs. Tift’s desires 
for the church, and their large gifts through the years made possible many 



TIFTON HOUSES OF WORSHIP 

Top row—First Presbyterian Church. Bessie Tift Chapel (Cotton Mill). 
The first church built in Tifton. 

Center row—Brookfield Memorial Methodist Church. First Baptist Church 
Bottom row—First Methodist Church. St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. 












HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


207 


accomplishments. From the first, there has been a Missionary Society, and 
until her death, Mrs. Tift was its honored president. Her memory will 
ever be a motivating power in the church. Beyond the community her in¬ 
fluence was felt, for Bessie Tift College was named for her. 

The church has sent forth four young men to serve as pastors: R. Davis 
Carrin, James M. Windham, Willis Hollingsworth, Robert H. Culpepper, 
and two young ladies for full time Christian service, Miss Eula Heard 
Windham and Miss Frances Allen. 

In addition to Davis M. Sanders, the church officers are E. P. Bowen, 
Jr., S. S. Superintendent; H. G. Petty, Training Union Director; Fred 
Bell, Chairman of Deacons; Mrs. H. G. Petty, W. M. U. President; Miss 
Dora E. Solomon, Educational Director, and Mrs. Sewell C. Holland, 
church secretary. 

—Church Historian 


CHULA BAPTIST CHURCH 
by H. D. Webb 

Chula Baptist Church was organized on October 8, 1922 by the 
Reverend G. C. Rainey. The names of pastors who have served the church 
since its organization are W. T. Bodenhamer, Rex Whiddon, J. A. Skel¬ 
ton, Ashbery Burrell. The value of the church property was $5,000. 
Services are held semi-monthly. The present pastor is Ashbury Burrell, and 
church clerk is George W. Pearman. 


TY TY BAPTIST CHURCH 
by H. D. Webb 

Ty Ty Baptist Church was organized in 1890 by the Reverend Blitch. 
The value of the church property now is $2,500. Services are held on the 
first and third Sundays. Pastors who have served the church since its 
organization are G. J. West, J. S. Sauls, George F. Clark, C. E. Walters, 

V. F. Johnson, A. W. Thompson, D. C. Rainey, Jeffry W. Jones, W. T. 
Bodenhamer, Hamilton Daniels and T. H. Matthews, who is now pas¬ 
tor. Grady Jones is church clerk, and Mrs. Grady Jones, assistant church 
clerk. The Reverend D,. C. Rainey served the Ty Ty church seventeen 
3 ? ears in succession. 

ZION HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH 
by H. D. Webb 

Zion Hope Baptist Church was organized in 1877 by the Reverend W. 

W. Webb and Isaac Hobby. The pastors who have served since the organi- 






THE OLD-TIME RELIGION 

Three scenes from a baptizing following a revival at one of Tift County’s 
rural churches. 









HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


209 


zation are Wiley Pipkins, S. E. Blitch, George F, Clark, Frank Cox, P. 
A. Jessup, Floyd Hobby, D. C. Rainey, J. C. Cochran, George C. Gibson, 
and F. F. Barbre. The present pastor is D. C. Rainey and church clerk, 
Mrs. Seth Kelley. The value of the church property was $1,800. Church 
services are held monthly. 


BESSIE TIFT CHAPEL 

Bessie Tift Chapel, erected by the Methodists in 1889 and sold to H. H. 
Tift in 1901 when they built a new church, is the oldest house of worship 
in Tifton. Mr. Tift moved the building to the cotton mill, named it for 
Mrs. Bessie Tift, his wife, and invited all denominations to use it for 
worship. 

Later deciding this plan was not best, Mr. Tift in 1902 deeded the land 
and building to the First Baptist Church of Tifton. For some unknown 
reason the deed was not recorded until 1924. 

There is no record of preachers until 1911 when the Reverend Dave 
Rainey, who preached there for fourteen years, was pastor; the Reverend 
Banks Allen preached from 1925-1929; the Reverend Tom Matthews, 
from 1929-1931; the Reverend Banks Allen from 1931 -1935; the Rever¬ 
end Willis Hollingsworth, 1935-1939; the Reverend Banks Allen, from 
I939- I 94 I J the Reverend T. W. Snider, 1941-1942; the Reverend C. W. 
Willis, 1945-1947; the Reverend T. W. Branch is the present pastor. 


THE HISTORY OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE 
CONSTITUTION OF THE TIFTON PRIMITIVE 
BAPTIST CHURCH 
(Dr. L. A. Baker) 

The beginning of the history of the Tifton Primitive Baptist Church 
has a rather wide geographical distribution; which in order to give, it will 
be necessary to set forth part of the history of two other churches, namely, 
Old China Grove, located about a mile and a half southwest across War¬ 
rior Creek from Poland, Georgia, and Corrinth Church at Ty Ty, Geor¬ 
gia. 

In the 1870s there moved to Ty Ty Station two brothers, William W. 
and W. Edwin Williams with their wives—sons of Elder Ezekiel J. Wil¬ 
liams who was a very famous Primitive Baptist preacher living on a farm 
on the site of what is now the town of Sparks, Georgia. These two sons 
and their wives brought letters from churches in that section. Some time 
during the i88o’s, these four, together with Elder I. P. Porter, his wife, 
and others, revived the church which had gone dead at Old China Grove. 




210 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


For several years, they prospered there as a church during which time 
Joseph J. Baker joined and was baptized. 

A few years later, by mutual consent, the China Grove Church dis¬ 
solved and moved to Ty Ty, where they had themselves constituted into a 
new church called Corrinth. W. Edwin Williams gave the land on which 
the church now stands. William W. Williams gave and cut the timber off 
his farm into lumber to build the church. Much of this lumber was 
hauled to Poland to the planing mills to be remilled for the construction 
of the building. 

This church prospered for many years. Sometime along about 1900, Mrs. 
Joseph J. Baker joined and was baptized into the fellowship of this church. 

About this time, there was a heavy movement of settlers from middle 
Georgia to this section; from among whom, Corrinth Church received the 
following splendid members: Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Davis from Newton 
County—Mr. Davis bringing a letter from Shoal Creek Church and Mrs. 
Davis from Harris Springs Church—Mrs. J. W. Hollis from Newton 
County with a letter from Harris Springs Church. Mr. and Mrs. J. M. 
W. Lyons and Mr. and Mrs. F. Z. Dumas from Upson County bringing 
letters from Sharon Church. Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Davis from Morgan 
County in 1904, uniting with Corrinth Church in 1905 by baptism. Also 
in 1904, Mr. and Mrs. S. N. Poole came from Fulton County with letters 
from Mars Hill Church in Forsyth County. 

In October 1905, Dr. L. A. Baker, then a medical student at the begin¬ 
ning of his second year in college, joined Corrinth Church and was bap¬ 
tized. Mr. and Mrs. S. D. Spillers came to Corrinth Church with letters 
about this same time. 

Most of these middle Georgia people settled in and around Tifton. In 
1911, Dr. Baker moved from Ty Ty, where he settled after coming out 
of college, to Tifton to practice medicine. A few years later, Elder J. T. 
McArthur of Cordele, Georgia, began to hold services off and on in Tif¬ 
ton. Finally in 1916, the following members asked for letters of dismissal 
from Corrinth Church in order to form a church at Tifton: W. E. Wil¬ 
liams, Mrs. W. E. (Katie) Williams, J. J. Baker, Mrs. J. J. (Sarah) 
Baker, Dr. L. A. Baker, Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Davis, Mr. and Mrs. J. T. 
Davis, Mr. and Mrs. S. D. Spillers, Minnie Spillers, Mr. and Mrs. F. Z. 
Dumas, Roy, Alene, and Gladys Dumas, Mr. and Mrs. J. M. W. Lyons, 
Mrs. Fannie C. Long, Mrs. Annie M. Hollis, Carolvn Hollis, and Mrs. 
S. N. Poole. 

This left Corrinth Church with an active membership and they are 
carrying on to this day. Elder J. T. McArthur of Cordele, Georgia, is 
the present pastor. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


211 


CONSTITUTION OF THE TIFTON PRIMITIVE 
BAPTIST CHURCH 

On November 30th, 1916, Elders J. T. McArthur, J. M. Thomas, J. 
E. Spillers, W. H. Crouse, and A. V. Sims met with the constituting broth¬ 
ers and sisters for the purpose of constituting them into a church of Christ. 
The above mentioned ministers organized into a presbytery—electing J. T. 
McArthur as moderator and Elder A. V. Sims, clerk. They examined let¬ 
ters from Corinth Primitive Baptist Church at Ty Ty, Georgia, and 
found letters duly in order. They proceeded to constitute the above men¬ 
tioned members into a church of Christ, located in Tifton, Georgia. Elder 
W. H. Crouse delivered the charge to the church, and there were talks by 
Elders Thomas and Sims. 

After the constitution of the church, they had no church home. The 
Presbyterian Pastor and Elders were approached for the use of their 
church house until such time as the young church could procure a place 
and build a church. This request was very graciously granted on the part 
of the Presbyterian Church and a very nominal fee was charged to cover 
only incidental expenses. For this Brotherly gesture of the Presbyterian 
Church of Tifton, the Tifton Primitive Baptist Church will ever be grate¬ 
ful. 

On January 7th, 1917, the church met in conference, and by unanimous 
vote called Elder W. H. Crouse to serve them for the year 1917* Elder 
Crouse accepted and served the church for sixteen consecutive years— 
during which time the church had a phenominal growth, baptizing many 
members among whom were many of the prominent people of this section 
of the state. 

After looking around, the church members found two lots on the corner 
of Tift Avenue and Fourth Street, which belonged to the City of Tifton, 
on which stood the Old Tifton Academy. These lots were purchased from 
the city of Tifton for $1,500—the city removed the old academy building. 

Each member subscribed generously of his or her means toward the 
building fund for a church. With that subscription as the basis, they went 
to the business people of Tifton for subscriptions and met a most generous 
response. 

Mr. Charles Fulwood, architect, was employed to draw plans for the 
church. Mr. Spooner, a well known builder in Tifton at that time, con¬ 
tracted to build the church which was done as speedily as possible. The 
building, with the furnishings and piano plus the lot, cost $13,500.00. 

On April 7th, 1918, with a very impressive program, the dedicatory 
service was held in the new church. Dr. Baker gave a history of the mem¬ 
bership of the church and the reasons for organizing a church in Tifton. 
Elder Crouse read the church covenant and articles of Faith, with appro- 


212 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


priate remarks, and then gave opportunity for remarks by others of the 
church and congregation. Appropriate talks were made by W. E. Williams, 
Dr. L. A. Baker, Elder J. T. McArthur, Professor J. C. Scarboro, prin¬ 
cipal of Tifton Schools, Reverend Warren Watson, pastor of the Wesleyan 
Methodist Church, Dr. J. M. Price and Professor J. M. Thrash, principal 
of the Agricultural School. At this meeting, upon the opening of the doors 
of the church, Mrs. N. E. Lawrence, wife of Elder R. A. Lawrence who 
lived on the Brookfield road, and Mr. W. Jelks Warren were received by 
letters—Sister Lawrence from Turner Church and Brother Warren from 
Hickory Springs Church. Sister Ethel Warren joined by experience and 
baptism. So, the new church was well launched on its way; the minutes 
and proceedings of which are on record. 

It is desired by the narrator that this history be put on the minutes of 
the church, if agreeable to the church, and that, from time to time, his 
history be read to the members of the church down through the ages. 

The original members of this church gave of their time, and means, and 
prayers, and tears, that this church might stand, by the will of the Lord, 
through many years; that those in this community who love the story of 
salvation by grace and of the atonement of Jesus on the Cross, might have 
a place to worship. The only reward sought by them was that this doctrine 
and this order might be kept pure and unsullied, and that this house and 
grounds might be held sacred, as dedicated by them, to the worship of God. 
It was their hope that those of future generations who cast their lot here 
would appreciate and love this church as they did; always keeping it in 
good repair and thanking the Lord for those who went before and built 
this home for them. 

May the blessings of God and the direction of the Holy Spirit ever be 
with those who follow to guide them in the ways of sound doctrine and 
truth and righteousness. 

October 12th, 1946 Dr. L. A. Baker, Narrator. 

ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 
Second Oldest Church Building in Tifton 
by Latrelle Tift Rankin 

Simple beauty greets a visitor, always welcome, as he enters St. Anne’s. 
Many exclaim and compare this lovely little church, whose doors are al¬ 
ways open, to the similarly simple but far more famed “Little Church 
Around the Corner” in New York City, and the “Wee Kirk of the 
Heather” or “Little Church of the Flowers” in Los Angeles. 

Perfect design and craftsmanship that contribute so much to the interior 
beauty of the building was the handiwork of local builders who com- 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


213 



menced work on the church on March 20, 1898. Mr. Edmund Harding 
Tift, assuming responsibility for providing required material and pay¬ 
ments, supervised the construction with untiring zeal. 

At the time this work began, C. K. Nelson was Bishop of Georgia, hav¬ 
ing been consecrated Bishop in 1893. After his consecration, he immediately 
began locating isolated members of the Episcopal Church, and found three 
or four communicants in Tifton which, by that time, had grown from 
merely a saw-mill site to a progressive little town. He sent the Rev. J. W. 
Turner to conduct monthly services, necessarily on week days as they 
w T ere held in the Methodist Church building. 

Gradual increase in the town’s population brought additional Episco¬ 
palians, and eventually it became evident that they ought to have a church 
building. Bishop Nelson heartily approved the project and in a letter to 
Mr. E. H. Tift, dated February 7, 1898, pledged $300 toward the building. 

As work progressed in the building, friends, even though not Episco¬ 
palians, showed much interest by cooperating in many ways. Soon the 
building, second oldest church building in Tifton, was completed and on 
January 1, 1902, was consecrated by Bishop Nelson. 

Since that time many illustrious and fine men have served as ministers 
at St. Anne’s including: 



214 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


1898— The Rev. J. W. Turner (also served Jekyl Island and Leighton 
Chapels) organized the Mission. 

1899— The Rev. Allard Barnwell 

1900— The Rev. T. C. Tupper 

1901— The Rev. L. C. Birch 

1903—The Rev. Harry Thomas Walden (Cordele) 

1905—The Rev. Samuel Denman Day (Dundarf, Pa.) 

1909—The Rev. W. L. Mellichampe (Douglas) 

1912—The Rev. Gerald A. Cornell 
1915—The Rev. John Moore Walker, Jr. 

1918—The Rev. William Bee Sams 

1922—The Rev. J. Harry Chesley (Diocese of Easton) 

1927—The Rev. A. D. Caslor 

1929—The Rev. H. S. Cobey (Rector at St. Paul’s, Albany) 

1932—The Rev. J. F. Wilson 

1932—The Rev. John R. Bentley (Augusta) 

1942— The Rev. Henry T. Egger (Tifton) 

1943— The Rev. Charles E. Crusoe 
1946—The Rev. T. E. Mundy. 

In September 1940, it became apparent that facilities were needed for 
a Church Sunday School. The people of St. Anne’s met on the evening of 
September 27 and planned a building to contain an apartment for the 
rector, a large meeting hall, a kitchen, and storage room. This Parish 
House, built soon thereafter, serves not only the Woman’s Auxiliary and 
Wardens and Church School, but has been used by the Boy Scouts, the 
Girl Scouts, the Junior Women’s Club, the Tifton Garden Club, and other 
community groups. 


HICKORY SPRINGS CHURCH 
by George Branch 

Hickory Springs Primitive Baptist Church was organized at Little 
River Meeting House in 1872. Elder Jacob Young was the first pastor. 
Charter members are: James Gibbs, Sr., Mrs. Mahala Gibbs, Frances 
Mayes, J. W. Whiddon, Lucy Whiddon, Frances Whiddon, James Gibbs, 
Jr., Allen Gibbs, B. G. Willis, Mary Willis, A. E. Clements, James Luke, 
Matilda Luke, Louisa Jane Branch, James I. Clements, Lott Whiddon, 
Juda Whiddon, Green Keen, Mathew Bishop, Elizabeth Porter, W. M. 
Register, Ann Young. 

Elder Jacob Young served as pastor from 1872 to 1886; Elder James 
Gibbs, from 1886 to 1921 ; Elder J. A. Sutton, 1921 to 1923; Elder Gil¬ 
ford Baker, from 1923 to 1927; Elder W. C. Kicklighter, from 1927 to 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


215 


!935; Elder A. R. Crumpton, from 1935 to 1943; Elder H. C. Stubbs, 
from 1943 to 1946; Elder A. H. Garner, 1947 — 

The name of the church was officially changed to Hickory Springs in 
1902. Ten acres of land were donated to church by James Gibbs, Sr., 
whose son, James Gibbs, Jr., served as pastor for a long time. The lum¬ 
ber for the present church, which was built in 1886, was sawed from the 
best timber at a sawmill at Whiddon’s Mill Pond, owned by J. N. Whid- 
don. All labor for building the church was donated by members and friends 
of the church. 

HISTORY OF THE METHODIST CHURCH IN BROOKFIELD 
by the Reverend J. H. Bridges 

To have lived for nearly three-quarters of a century is an achievement for 
either a person or an organization. To have lived so long as the center of 
Christian faith and unselfish service is an honor indeed. 

In the year 1878 the Reverend J. J. F. Goodman, one of the pioneer 
Methodist preachers of this section with Christlike purpose to extend the 
kingdom, went five miles east of Tifton and organizel a new church. The 
church was named Bethesda and built on land donated by a Mr. Matthews. 
The building was not only used for worship but served for a time as a 
public school. Among the charter members were J. B. Coarsey, Ryan Kin- 
ard, Sim Harrell, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Baker, and members of the Mar- 
chant and Lamp families. On the land adjoining the church was developed 
one of the best known cemeteries in the county and in whose sacred soil 
rests today the earthly remains of many of the pioneers of this lovely com¬ 
munity. 

It is to be regretted that a complete list of the godly ministers who have 
served this congregation is not available for this record. In that honored 
list would be found the names of J. J. F. Goodman, P. H. Crumpler. John 
Taylor, E. E. Rose, M. B,. Ferrell, E. L. Padrick, S. S. Kemp, N. H. 
Olmstead, W. K. Dennis, J. S. Jordan, E. A. Sanders, T. A. Moseley, L. 
E. Pierce, J. D. Snyder, J. E. Buchannan and others of equal devotion. 

In 1903, under the ministry of the Reverend S. S. Kemp, it was decided 
to move the church building three miles into the village of Brookfield. 
J. L. Gay, J. N. Brown and J. N. Horne were leaders in this movement. 
The name w T as then changed to the Brookfield Methodist Church. It was 
here that Bishop Arthur J. Moore worshipped as a growing boy and at 
these altars found the ideals which have led him to a ministry covering the 
entire world. 

One of the striking stories associated with this church is that of the 
coming of two boy preachers in 1912. Their names were “Arthur Moore” 
and “John Sharp.” Their first act after arrival and before the first service 



216 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


was to remove the doors and windows from the church so as to accommo¬ 
date the large crowds which they were sure would be coming. Their faith 
was justified and congregations far beyond the capacity of the building 
were in attendance. Many were converted and an active Sunday School 
was organized with Mr. C. V. Taylor as superintendent, a position he 
filled with fidelity for thirty-six years. 

It has been apparent for some years that the old building had served its 
day. Bishop Moore, John Churchwell, Gus Churchwell, and Nath Coar- 
sey took the lead. The present lot was donated by Nath Coarsey, Sr. The 
following were named as the Building Committee: A. F. Churchwell, J. 
H. Churchwell, N. L. Coarsey, Sr., C. B. Coarsey, C. V. Taylor, E. R. 
Gibbs, J. L. Akins, W. E. Beasley and the Rev. Joe H. Bridges Nathan 
L. Coarsey, Jr., was named to succeed his father. The plans were drawn 
and donated by Rev. G. M. Lipham and the construction was under the 
supervision of Mr. Joe B. Adams. To name those who by love, prayers and 
gifts have made this beautiful building possible would include the entire 
membership of the church, a host of friends in Tifton and from over the 
entire state. Their names are known to God and He will reward them. 


HISTORY OF CHULA METHODIST CHURCH 
by Mrs. Dan Sutton 

Captain H. H. Tift gave the land on which Chula Methodist Church 
was built about 1913. A. D. Hollingsworth sawed the lumber with which 
it is built and the people of the community built the church. 

Rev. F. A. Ratcliffe organized the church. Some of the charter members 
are Mr. and Mrs. Albert Whiddon, Mr. and Mrs. Mack Lesueur, and 
Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Hollingsworth. 

The parsonage for the Chula Charge was built several years ago. It 
burned recently and a beautiful parsonage has been built in its stead. 

A long line of preachers has served the church and all have done some 
good. 

Rev. J. H. Bridges is the last pastor serving here for five years. Under 
his pastorate the church has been painted inside and out and Sunday School 
rooms have been built. 

The church is now heated by gas. 

Approximately 50 people were added to the church under Brother 
Bridges’ preaching. The attendance at church and Sunday School more 
than doubled during the five years. His work with the young people was 
also outstanding. The church is in good condition in every way and ready 
to go forward under the guidance of the new preacher—Rev. C. M. In¬ 
finger. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


217 


THE HARDING METHODIST CHURCH 
by Mrs. Dan Sutton 

In May 1915, Rev. F. A. Ratcliffe, evangelist, set up his big tent at 
Harding and began preaching the Word of God. At first not so many 
people came to hear him, for few people living in the community at that 
time knew much about the Methodist Church. As the days passed by 
though the gospel as preached by this grand old man of God and the won¬ 
derful singing as led by the Lovett brothers and their sister, Rhoda, began 
to stir men’s souls. The tent was soon crowded to the limit each night for 
about three weeks. Then came the last night—a night long to be remem¬ 
bered in the Harding Community. The large tent was running over and 
there seemed to be as many people on the outside as were on the inside. 

Forty-four people joined the church during this tent meeting and the 
Harding Methodist Church was organized. Some who are charter mem¬ 
bers still worship there regularly as Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Vance, C. J. 
Hall, and Mrs. Dan T. Sutton. At first they worshipped in a building at 
Paulk’s Crossing. In 1916 the church was built at Harding on two acres 
of land donated by Captain H. H. Tift. Since then Sunday School rooms 
have been added, and a vestibule with a steeple. 

The first years were trying years. The church had many obstacles from 
every side, but one by one these were met and surmounted. They lost sev¬ 
eral of the forty-four members during those years. 

Rev. R. W. Cannon was the first preacher. Perhaps our list of pastors 
is too long for this article but each has come, has done what he could for 
the church, and has gone on his way, some to very high places as ministers. 
Our first real revival was accomplished when Rev. H. E. Wells and Rev. 
Walter Churchwell held a series of services in 1921. Many were added to 
the church at this time and the church was greatly strengthened. 

The Sunday School was organized in June 1915 and has been an integral 
part of the church ever since. Mr. George W. Blizzard was the first su¬ 
perintendent. Other superintendents who have served several years each 
are Mr. Henry Mathis, Mrs. Dan T. Sutton and Clarence Sutton. 

The Sunday School has never been closed down since it was organized. 
In the early 1930’s it was rated as the outstanding small Sunday School in 
the South Georgia Conference. Mr. W. S. Kelley was largely responsible 
for this rating. 

The most faithful member of the Sunday School has been and is at the 
present time, Mr. E. L. Vance. 

After the revival in 1921, for many years the Church and Sunday School 
climbed. Then there was a decline in their services until five years ago 
when Rev. Joe Bridges was sent to the church as pastor. He, with the co¬ 
operation of his flock, has been instrumental in building a strong member- 


218 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


ship, many of whom are leaders in church work. At present there is a fine 
progressive Sunday School at Harding, which is doing a great work. They 
have plans made for the beautification of their church and grounds and 
hope one day to be an outstanding church of the community both physically 
and spiritually. 


HISTORY OF MT. CALVARY METHODIST CHURCH 
by Mrs. Dan Sutton 

Mt. Calvary Methodist Church was organized in 1915 by Rev. F. A. 
Ratcliffe. One hundred and forty-six members constituted the church in 
its infancy. This church has been on the Chula Charge since its organiza¬ 
tion and is today perhaps in many ways the strongest church on the charge. 

Mt. Calvary Church has had several pastors. Some were faithful and 
some let the church go downward. The church feels that Rev. J. H. 
Bridges is due much credit for its present status. He preached in the church 
and out. He visited everybody and talked and prayed with them. As a 
result of his hard work around this church, they today have an outstanding 
Sunday School. In 1942 the average attendance was 25. Today it is 122. 
Rev. Bridges has baptized a large number of people, both young and old, 
and has received 93 into the church during his stay there. He helped the 
church plan a building program which includes adding Sunday School 
rooms. The church today hopes, with its large cooperative membership, to 
make great strides forward under the leadership of their new preacher— 
Reverend C. M. Infinger. 


OAK RIDGE METHODIST CHURCH 

Oak Ridge church was organized in 1913 by Rev. E. L. Pad rick. Serv¬ 
ices were held under-a bush arbor for a year. Then the building was erect¬ 
ed. The pastors who served the church were: Rev. E. L. Padrick, Rev. 
Aaron Kelly, Rev. Salter, Rev. J. P. Chatfield, Rev. C. G. B. Johnson, 
Rev. J. F. McTier who served the church six years, Rev. W. B. Raburn 
who served the church at two different times, Rev. C. C. Smoke, Rev. J. N. 
Snell, Rev. J. W. Williams, Rev. J. B. Roberts, Rev. Ralph Brown, Rev. 
H. E. Wells, Rev. Charles Britton, Rev. Tom Mosely, Rev. J. L. Peck, 
Rev. Dewit Shippy, Rev. Gordon King, Rev. Ellkis Miller, Rev. Sam 
Mayo, Rev. J. H. Bridges, retiring pastor, served the charge for five years. 
Under his leadership the church buildings were renewed, membersip re¬ 
vived and attendance greatly increased. 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


219 


Rev. C. M. Infinger is incoming pastor. 

At one time the church was very active with every member except one 
tithing. 

W. K. Overby was superintendent of the Sunday School for more than 
twenty years. Mr. H. J. Vernon followed him as superintendent for 
twenty-three years. 

All other denominations were made welcome and cordially invited to 
take part in the services. It was the aim of the church to uplift every one 
and make all feel that they were welcome in God’s house. The members 
felt that this was a spiritual home where comfort, courage, and inspiration 
could be gotten. Oak Ridge church opened its arms to every hungry soul. 

The Baptists of that community were warm-hearted and added greatly 
to the sweet spirit and well going of the church. They helped in every 
possible way that they could. 

There were no denominational lines to be found. Even those who search¬ 
ed for them could not get a glimpse of one. Cordiality, love, and helpful¬ 
ness was the goal of the early days of the old church and she did not miss 
her mark. 


HISTORY OF THE TIFTON METHODIST CHURCH 
Written by Mr. J. L. Herring and his son, Mr. J. G. Herring 

In writing the history of the Tifton Methodist Church, the history of 
Tifton is also written. 

When this church was organized it had five members, the village being 
made up of saw mill shanties and bar rooms. The bar rooms have been gone 
for many years. The church helped to close them. 

As the settlement grew to the village, the village to the town and the 
town to the city, the church progressed to the Mission, then to the Circuit, 
then to the Station and now it counts its membership compared to its 
organization as more than one hundred to one. 

Previous to the organization of the church, the Methodists in Tifton 
were occasionally served by servants of the Master, notable among them 
being that earnest, consecrated man, J. J. F. Goodman; also that giant in 
the forum of debate, Rev. W. S. Armistead. Mr. Goodman was Justice of 
the Peace at this time. He resigned his office and asked for a license to 
preach as a local Methodist preacher. This was granted him and he served 
the church in this capacity as long as he lived. 

The church proper was organized by J. J. F. Goodman on the first Sun¬ 
day in March, 1882. The members at that time were Mr. J. J. F. Good¬ 
man, Mrs. Rhoda Goodman, their little son, J. O. Goodman, John B. 
Greene, Mrs. Julia A. Greene, Mrs. J. E. Knight and her mother, Mrs. 


220 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Anderson. It will be seen that except for the pastor the church was organ¬ 
ized with only one male member who filled the double duty of class leader 
and steward. Previous to organization, services where held in a small 
shanty east of Tift’s lumber yard but the Methodist church was officially 
organized in a small building used as a school house and precinct justice 
courthouse, within fifty yards of where the present edifice stands. This 
shanty, insignificant as it was, was burned by an incendiary and in 1884 
a larger and better building was erected near what is now the southwest 
corner of Tift Avenue and Fourth Street. The first floor was used for school 
and church purposes, the second floor as a Masonic hall. This building was 
also burned by an incendiary in 1887. 

Mr. H. H. Tift gave lots for a church and also a parsonage and a neat 
wooden building costing about $2,000 begun on the site of the present 
building. The work was begun in 1888 and finished in 1889. Remarkable 
to say, three attempts were made to destroy this building by fire while it 
was in process of erection. As it neared completion, some of the members 
guarded it nightly. It was while they were doing this that the incendiary 
was shot and wounded by one of the guards. 

When the church was first organized it was a mission of the Alapaha 
circuit and was served by Rev. W. B. Babcock. In 1885 it was made a part 
of the Alapaha circuit and the church was served in 1885-86 by Rev. G. 
R. Parker. It was during the fall of 1885 that a notable revival was held 
by the pastor, assisted by Rev. E. M. Whiting, in which more than thirty 
members were added to the church. Rev. J. M. Foster was pastor in 
1887-88 while it was still on the Alapaha circuit. In 1896 the Tifton 
Methodist Church was made a Station with a resident-pastor. 

The present church edifice was erected in 1900 and 1901. The Educa¬ 
tional Building adjoining the church was built in the late 20’s. 

No attempt will be made to comment upon the influence for good that the 
Methodist Church has exerted upon the town and community since its 
organization. Its good work speaks for itself. 

These are the names of the ministers who have served the church: Rever¬ 
ends W. B. Babcock, G. R. Parker, J. M. Foster, J. G. Ahern, L. A. Snow, 
P. M. Crumples, W. F. Hixon, C. E. Crawley, J. W. Domingos, E. M. 
Whiting, J. M. Glenn, T. H. Thomson, J. F. Ryder, G. W. Matthews, 
W. H. Budd, C. A. Jackson. Robert Kerr, J. H. House, W. E. Toroson, 
H. T. Freeman, N. H. Williams, Reese Griffin, M. P. Webb, J. H. Wil¬ 
son, W. A. Kelley and L. E. Williams. 


THE CHURCH OF NAZARENE 

In 1939 the Reverend Byron Lejune, pastor of Nazarene Church in 
Fitzgerald, held a tent meeting on corner of Fifth and South Park Ave- 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


221 


nue in Tifton. Seven Tifton people joined this church. There are only 
two of the charter members who are active now, Mrs. J. P. M. Wadkins 
and Mrs. H. C. Carmichael. The Reverend Lejune held regular services 
on Sunday afternoon and prayer meeting on Wednesday night until the 
accidental burning of the tent. After the tent was burned, meetings were 
held in the Mrs. H. C. Carmichael’s living room until a church was built. 

Mr. H. C. Carmichael built the church and leased it for one dollar a 
year. The Reverend Figgie was the first pastor in the new church build¬ 
ing on South Ridge Avenue and Eleventh Street. He was followed by the 
Reverends Homer Naybors and Aubrey Ponce. 

The Reverend W. Lee Gann is pastor now of the Nazarene Church, 
which has forty-four members. Sunday School, which meets in the new 
parsonage, has eighty-eight members. 


NEW RIVER CHURCH 
by H. D. Webb 

New River Church was organized in 1887. The first house of worship 
was built of logs, which Mr. Ryan Kinard, Mr. John Kinard, Mr. George 
Guest, and the Reverend W. W. Webb cut from young timber near the 
church environs. These men not only cut the logs but shouldered them to 
the site where a carpenter was constructing the building. It was used 
twelve years for a school house as well as a place of worship. About 1889 
a frame building was constructed and later used for educational as well as 
religious purposes until 1893, when a school house was built at Vanceville. 
A cyclone destroyed the church building in 1913, but the persistent mem¬ 
bers erected another room afterwards. The church grew until December 
22, 1946 when fire destroyed the building. The members are now using 
the cotton mill church for services until they can erect a new brick build¬ 
ing. 

The church was organized with twenty members but its membership 
has grown continually to one hundred eighty-seven. “New River” has 
the distinction of leading all other country churches. 

HISTORY OF TIFTON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 
written by 

Mrs Frank Corry, Sr., Tifton, Ga. 

Mrs R. A. Heinslow, Thomasville, Ga. 

Prior to 1899 the small group of Presbyterians living in and near Tif¬ 
ton had no organized church but faithfully held Sunday School in the 



222 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


homes of the members of like faith on Sunday afternoons. On May 7 > 
1899 the school had met at the home of Mr. M. S. Harrison and after 
dismissal the adult members remained for conference, at which a petition 
was written asking Savannah Presbytery to organize a church in Tifton. 
The petition was signed by Owen L. Chesnutt, Mary A. Chesnutt, Mary 
M. Chesnutt, Thomas M. Chesnutt, Sallie S. Harrison, Louise T. Harris, 
Lydia A. Fulwood, Isaac A. Fulwood, Miss Catharine S. Tift, Mrs. 
Clifford Harris, Abram M. Chesnutt, O. Lee Chesnutt, Moses S. Harri¬ 
son, Mary E. Harrison, James M. Harris, Mrs. E. C. Tift, W. H. Harris. 

This petition was forwarded to Savannah Presbytery and on June 14, 
1899 the church was organized with Mr. D. L. Chesnutt as ruling elder 
and Mr. W. H. Harris as deacon. This organization proceeded with the 
work of the church and a committee was appointed to secure a suitable 
location for a building. In November, 1900, the congregation had built and 
paid for a neat frame building located at the site which is now 210 North 
Central Avenue. Rev. J. B. Cochran was the first pastor, and services were 
held the third and fifth Sundays each month. 

In the summer of 1906 the building was completely destroyed by a cy¬ 
clone. For a time services were held in the school building and in neighbor 
churches; however the membership was so small the burden of support so 
heavy that all formal services were finally discontinued. The spirit of 
Presbyterians was not lost, for the few children of the congregation met 
continuously at the home of Mr. Henry H. Britt and were taught the 
catechisms and the fundamental doctrines of the church and the love and 
appreciation of it as an organization. 

In the spring of 1911 Rev. Tollett of Macon made three trips to 
Tifton in an effort to revive interest in the church. His efforts were blessed 
and through representations made to Savannah Presbytery (by Mr. H. 
H. Britt and Mr. B. Y. Wallace) at their spring meeting in Blackshear, 
Rev. George L. Bitzer was commissioned to reorganize the church, and on 
April 23, 1911 the reorganization meeting was held at the home of Mr. 
and Mrs. Bennett Y. Wallace. The congregation numbering twenty-one 
members. 

It then became necessary for the new organization to secure a church 
building, and the building formerly owned by the Missionary Baptist 
Church was bought, remodeled, and made into an attractive church home. 
The last of the indebtedness on the building was paid in the spring of 
1914. The dedication service was held at the evening service April 2b, 1914. 

Ministers serving the church are as follows: Rev. W. S. Milner, Rev. 
Daniel Iverson, Rev. R. M. Man, Rev. H. B. Fraser, Rev. E. S. Winn, 
Rev. Freeman Parker, and Rev. D. C. Landrum. The present pastor, Rev. 
John R. Howard came to the church Feb. 1, 1946. Under his able leader¬ 
ship the congregation has grown from 105 to 172 in one church year. On 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


223 


April i, 1945 the church went on a self-supporting basis, financial aid hav¬ 
ing been received from the Presbytery up to this time. 

A bronze plaque placed in the church commemorates the long and useful 
service of Mr. Henry H. Britt and attests the affection in which he was 
held by members of the church. 

As a tribute to their parents, the children of Mr. and Mrs. Britt placed 
a beautiful Baptismal Font in the building in March, 1947. 


SALEM CHURCH 
(Copied from Tifton Gazette) 

M iss Catherine Tucker gave the following history of Salem church 
which was told to her by John Y. Sutton, pioneer of Tift county: 

Salem Baptist church is the second oldest Baptist church in Tift County. In 
the latter part of the 19th century a small group of humble hardworking 
people met in an old log school house for Sunday school and church serv¬ 
ices. A brush harbor had to be made on one side of the log cabin in order 
to accommodate the increasing number of people. The church community 
was very large at that time covering miles around. 

Those honest Christians walked to service, rode in buggies, ox carts, and 
wagons. No matter the type of transportation, they came and all the 
family with them. 

In this little log cabin in the year 1890, Salem Baptist church was organ¬ 
ized with only 12 charter members. Wheeler Norman saw the need of a 
larger and more adequate building and he met with the board of Christian 
workers and laid his plans before them. He generously contributed the lum¬ 
ber for building and $100 to pay on the construction. The men more than 
gladly gave their time in hauling the lumber to the place of construction. 
John Y. Sutton and Henry Willis, assisted by Shabe Conger, Ben Hall, 
and John Castleberry, gave the boards to be used as the covering. J. B. 
Arlington agreed to construct the building for $100. In June, 1894, John 
Y. Sutton contributed benches, some of which are still in use today. 

Sunday School was organized with Miss Nora Finsley and Mrs. Charlie 
Thompson as the first teachers. The first pastor was Rev. J. S. Sauls, of 
Ty Ty. The church now is a member of the Mell association and has been 
for years. 


HISTORY OF TURNER CHURCH 
by Mrs. Dan Sutton 

Turner Church has the distinction of being the oldest church in Tift 




224 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


County. It was establishel July 13, 1866. John McMillan and Ryan Kin- 
ard built the church out of logs* Tater it was covered with boards and 
changed a little. In 1929 it was repaired and made more attractive as it 
stands today. It is a very large building and is always kept as neat and 
clean as can be. 

The first pastors were Richard Tucker and Andrew Connell, both serv¬ 
ing the first year. Other pastors before 1914 were Jacob Young, John 
Churchwell, James Gibbs, John McMillan, Joseph Mixon, and Frank 
Smith. 

One lady who has been attending the Annual Meeting at Turner 
Church for the past sixty years tells of the thrill the young people would 
always get when on the Sabbath morning Jacob Young would appear on 
the opposite side of the river on a big fine white horse and someone would 
row the flat across to get the preacher and his horse. That must have been 
beautiful in the sight of God on those Annual Meeting days, particularly, 
as well as on other meeting days, when people for miles around would 
arise early, prepare big baskets of food, gather their families together and 
go marching to Turner Church, there to take part in the singing of grand 
old gospel songs, and listening to the ministers of God expound the Gospel 
at great length. Then would come the lunch hour. A great feast was spread 
under the trees and southern hospitality reigned supreme. When singing 
was heard in the church the members returned for the communion and 
footwashing just as they still do today. People were sincere in their reli¬ 
gion and they believed in an all-wise, all-powerful God to the uttermost. 
After the footwashing they “sang a hymn and went out” with enrapt faces 
because they had worshipped God in spirit and truth. 

In those days people came from all directions in road carts, in two¬ 
wheeled carts drawn by oxen, on mule back, in wagons, on foot, and in 
buggies. A woman now living tells how they never missed a service though 
they had to walk several miles. They carried their shoes until they reached 
the stream near the church. Here they rested, bathed their feet in the water 
and pulled on their shoes, and entered the church with uplifted faces. 

James Albert Sutton served the church in 1914, R. Allen Lawrence 
I 9I5~I9 I 7, John Thomas Tyson 1918-1919, James Gibbs 1920-1921, Edd 
Gilbert Baker 1925-1932, Algier Bishop 1933 and 1934, when he died, 
and James Albert Sutton finished out 1934. Elder Leonard McMillan has 
been pastor since 1935 until the present, except two years when Elder 
Jesse J. Johnston served. 

The first four members of the church in 1866 were Mr. and Mrs. 
Malcolm McMillan and Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Griffin. Outstanding old 
members were Mr. and Mrs. M. L. McMillan, Mr. and Mrs. Richard 
Gibbs, and Mr. and Mrs. James McMillan. 

Some of the most active members now are Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Me- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


225 


Millan, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McMillan, Mr. and Mrs. Willie D. 
Alexander, Mr. and Mrs. Lonnie J. Lawhorn, and Mrs. Lovie Camaron. 

There is a large cemetery beside the church where many of these fine 
God-fearing, God-loving Saints lie at rest. 

It is hard to conjecture just the great religious influence this fine old 
church has had upon the people of Tift County and surrounding counties. 
Tift County is proud that Turner Church is within her bounds and that 
the influence from this Church is still felt by many people all over the 
County. 


CHAPTER XIX 
CLUBS 

BOY SCOUTS 
by L. E. Bowen, Sr. 

Tift County has had one or more Boy Scuot troops intermittently since 
about 1915. Until recent years the work has been directed by interested 
adults and with little or no direct assistance from the national organization. 
Boy Scouts of America. Mr. A. B. Phillips and Dr. L. O. Shaw were 
active during most of these years directing the entire activities even to the 
point of serving as troop scoutmasters. For several years prior to 1940 
the Lions Club of Tifton sponsored a troop. 

During 1940 representatives from the National Council Boy Scouts of 
America succeeded in interesting a group of Tifton men in scouting and 
this resulted in the organization of the Tift District of the Chehaw Coun¬ 
cil. Ralph Puckett was the first president of the Tift District and served 
in that capacity until 1946, when L. E. Bowen, Sr., became district presi¬ 
dent. Since 1940 scouting has made excellent strides in Tifton and Tift 
County. 

There are now five active troops in Tifton, including one negro troop. 
Chula and Omega also have troops. Cub Scouting is now also on a sound 
basis with two Cub packs operating. Cub Scouts almost always develop 
into excellent boy scouts. 

Citizens generally are very enthusiastic about scouting, recognizing in 
this work one of the two or three very best mediums of character building 
and future good citizens. 


GUN LAKE COUNTRY CLUB 

Below are the minutes of the first meeting of ths stockholders of the 
Country Club at Gun Lake on the Alapaha River: 

“The Country Club met in regular session, January 5, 1912; the fol¬ 
lowing members present: C. W. Fulwood, acting chairman; J. S. Ridgdill, 
acting secretary; H. D. Webb, W. W. Timmons, Charlie Mathis, Henry 
Sutton, L. L. Simmons, Johnathan Walker, W. H. Hendricks, N. Peter¬ 
son, J. E. Cochran, B. H. McLeod, R. C. Ellis, and W. E. Farmer, by 
proxy. 

“Charter read and accepted by the club. C. W. Fulwood, elected Presi¬ 
dent; B. H. McLeod was elected Secretary-Treasurer. 

“Moved and seconded that President appoint three members of the Club 
to draft Rules and By-Laws for the government of the club. The following 
draft Rules and By-Laws for the government of the club. The following 
were appointed: C. W. Fulwood, Charlie Mathis, and H. D. Webb. 


226 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


227 


“The following members, W. W. Timmons, R. C. Ellis, and L. L. 
Simmons were appointed to go out and look over the 150 acres of land 
adjoining the lands belonging to the club with full power to purchase the 
same if they think it to the interest of the club. 

“It was ordered that C. W. Fulwood be paid $40.00 to cover all ex¬ 
penses of getting the club together, with all expenses including advertising 
cost, etc., and each member was assessed $2.00 to cover same. 

“Meeting adjourned to meet when called by President. C. W. Fulwood 
President; B. H. McLeod, Sec.-Treas.” 

“(Note. In addition to the members above named, the following were 
the other Charter members of the club, to wit: H. H. Coombs, W. L. 
Harman, J. W. Hollis, Jno. Marchant, W. H. Bennett, and J. H. Hutch¬ 
inson).” 

The Country Club, whose membership is limited to twenty members, 
has had four presidents as follows: C. W. Fulwood, began office, Janu¬ 
ary 5, 1912; 2. R. C. Ellis, began office, January 2, 1915; 3. Raleigh Eve, 
began office in 1922; 4. Otis J. Woodward, began office March 21, 1941. 

Ben McLeod acted as secretary at the first meeting. At the second 
meeting Henry D. Webb was elected secretary and so continued until 
fall of 1923. In 1936 he was again elected secretary and has continuously 
served in that capacity. 

The club has numbered among its members through the years many 
prominent men. George W. Coleman and W. L. Pickard were ardent Ike 
Waltons. 


BRIEF HISTORY OF TIFTON LIONS CLUB 
LIONS INTERNATIONAL 

As early as 1914, Melvin Jones, the founder of Lions International, 
endeavored to unite on the basis of unselfish service the business men’s 
clubs in the United States, which were not affiliated with any other na¬ 
tional association. This was a distinct departure from the existing practice 
of forming business men’s clubs primarily for business exchange purposes. 

On June 7, 1917, many of the clubs with which Melvin Jones had 
been corresponding were represented at a special meeting called in Chi¬ 
cago, Illinois. The name “LIONS” was adopted and charters were grant¬ 
ed. A call was issued, however, for a meeting to be held in Dallas, Texas, 
October 9-11, 1917, to ratify the action taken at the meeting in Chicago. 
Approximately 25 clubs were represented at the Dallas meeting, which 
formally approved the name “Lions” and the granting of charters. The 
meeting in Dallas, therefore, is known as the first annual meeting of Lions 
International. 



228 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


At the close of the fiscal year, June 30, 1944, or 27 years from the 
time of the organization meeting in Chicago, the International Associa¬ 
tions of Lions Clubs was composed of 4,477 clubs with 177*579 mem¬ 
bers. Lions clubs now total over 4,740 with approximately 210,000 mem¬ 
bers. Lions now are at work in 15 nations of the world. 

The Tifton Lions Club was first organized in November, 1922, with 
30 members. On May 6, 1925 this club disbanded with 12 members. On 
April 15, 1935, the club reorganized with 30 members and has progressed 
until at present we think we have the best club in Georgia with 35 mem¬ 
bers. The following Lions have served since reorganization: 


Presidents 

Year 


Secretaries 

Herman H. Hill _ 

- 5-1935 

to 

1-1936 

Charles Harman 

Herman H. Hill _ 

- 5-1936 

to 

I-I 937 

Charles Harman 

Joe Kent, Jr. _ 

- 1-1937 

to 

7-1937 - 

Dr. L. O. Shaw 

Herman H. Hill _ 

7-1937 

to ] 

n-1937 - 

Joe Kent, Jr. 

Ross H. Pittman 

n-1937 

to 

7-1938 

Joe Kent, Jr. 

Riss H. Pittman 

-7-1938 

to 

7-1939 - 

Joe Kent, Jr. 

Roy Thrasher 

7-1939 

to 

7-1940 - 

Joe Kent, Jr. 

Geo. H. King __ 

7-1940 

to 

7-1941 . 

Joe Kent, Jr. 

G. O. Bailey, Jr. 

7-1941 

to 

7-1942 . 

Joe Kent, Jr. 

B. L. Southwell 

7-1942 

to 

7-1943 - 

Joe Kent, Jr. 

L. L. Kennedy 

-7-1943 

to 

7-1944 . 

_T. P. Poole 

E. L. Rollins 

7-1944 

to 

7-1945 - 

Turner Rountree 

When the club 

was reorganized 

in 

1935 the 

meetings were held at 


Mrs. Walker’s boarding house; later, when Mrs. Walker moved away, 
we moved into the “Lions Den,” which was located over Kent’s Furniture 
Store. The meals were brought over from the Kopper Kettle. (This was 
the worst year of the club, as a matter of fact the club would have gone 
under if it had not been for a few hard working members who fought 
valiantly to keep the club alive. Membership dropped as low as 9 to 10. In 
order to pull the club out of this hole they decided to move from the 
“Den” to the Myon Hotel (this was in 1937) at which time the progress 
started that brought the membership up to 25 within a very few months.) 

The Tifton Lions club is the oldest civic club in Tifton and has been 
responsible for a great many improvements in and around Tifton. The 
Tift County Health Department was promoted by the Lions, Railroad 
safety crossing signs were suggested. Highway signs installed, glasses and 
aid to the blind. The Lions take a big portion of the credit for the present 
airbase, if it had not been for the Lions, Carson Chalk would never have 
located here, and this is what grew into our present airport. The Lions 
have donated their time and money to assist the Red Cross, Boy Scouts, and 
all other worthy organizations. The Lions have cooperated with the Tift 


























HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


229 


County Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis Club, the 
Pilots Club, City and County Commissioners and other civic organiza¬ 
tions in Tifton. The Lions are now sponsoring the Boy Scouts of America, 
Troop 61, which is no doubt the best troop in Tifton. The Lions have 
helped in the waste paper campaign, in collecting and baling for shipment. 
The Lions have assisted the schools in numerous ways. The Lions have 
participated in the scrap iron salvage campaign, war bond sales and all 
other patriotic movements. We also sponsored the Omega Lions Club of 
which we are very proud. We have furnished Lions International, Dis¬ 
trict 18B, the following officers: 


Zone Chairman (1938-1939) _Dr. L. O. Shaw 

Deputy District Governor (1939-1940) _Dr. L. O. Shaw 

Deputy District Governor (1940-1941) __Ross H. Pittman 

District Governor (1941-1942) _Ross H. Pittman 

Cabinet Secretary-Treasurer (1941-1942)____Truman P. Poole 


Liberty 

intelligence 

Our 

.Nation’s 

-Safety 


PRIMROSE GARDEN CLUB 

Primrose Garden Club was organized in 1937 by Mrs. Hull Atwater 
at the Coca-Cola plant with eight ladies present. Mrs. Atwater was elected 
the first president. She and Mrs. W. F. Zimmerman are the charter mem¬ 
bers now in the club. 

Among the projects sponsored by the club are: 

Members planted the first cut-flower garden at the Tift County Hos¬ 
pital. 

Club was hostess to the divisional conference at Abraham Baldwin Col¬ 
lege. 

Mrs. Dwight Knight organized the Forget-me-not Club. 

Beautified grounds around vocational buildings at high school, and 
grounds at grammar school. 

Beautified park between Ridge and College Avenues. 

Adopted a constructive conservative program. 

Established a circulating library within the club. 

Still working on highway committee to have objectionable bill boards 
removed from the entrances to Tifton. 

Sending special holiday remembrances to patients at the hospital. 








230 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Sending books and magazines to the hospital. 

Sponsored several adult flower clubs. 

Sponsored a field trip under the direction of Dr. Eugene Heath, presi¬ 
dent of the Georgia Botanical Society to study native plants. 

Entertained Second District Council of Flower Clubs in 1939. 

Requested to assist in beautifying grounds of new recreational center. 

Hold annual flower shows. 

Participated in the Labor Day Parade. 

Specialized in Christmas decoration. 

Furnished material for the Boy Scouts to build bird houses for city park 
and private homes. 

During the war the club bought and sold war bonds, planted and spon¬ 
sored victory gardens, and helped with home canning. The members studied 
home nursing, first aid, nurses’ aid and nutrition. The club responded to all 
other patriotic calls. It furnished flowers for the local airport and local 
hospital, folded bandages for the Red Cross and local hospital, filled Christ¬ 
mas stockings, worked at the U.S.O. and helped buy a Red Cross Ambu¬ 
lance. 

The club is helping develop the Blue Star Highway as a memorial to 
World War veterans. The purpose of the club is to continue always to 
try to enhance the beauty of Tifton and Tift County and promote more 
and better gardens among the members. 

The following have served as presidents: Mrs. Hull Atwater, Mrs. 
Blanton Smith, Mrs Emory Owens, Mrs. Jack Rigdon, Mrs. Malcolm 
Tyson, Mrs. H. S. Bolton. 

The present officers are: Mrs. R. W. Patrick, president; Mrs. Louise 
Stamps, vice-president; Mrs. J. L. Peacock, Jr., recording secretary; Mrs. 
Walter Spurlin, treasurer; Mrs. Bruce Donaldson, corresponding secre¬ 
tary; Mrs. Dwight, parliamentarian. 


TIFTON’S FIRST KIWANIS CLUB 

On April n, 1922, the first Kiwanis Club of Tifton, Georgia, was or¬ 
ganized with 62 members. Mr. Holmes S. Murray was elected president, 
Mr. Mose Hendry, vice-president, and Mr. Frank NeSmith, secretary- 
treasurer. 

The Presidents of the club for the 12 years of its existence were: Holmes 
S. Murray, 1922; John L. Herring, 1923; Jason Scarboro, 1924; S'. L. 
Lewis, 1925; H. B. Felder, 1926; H. H. Tift, 1927; J. C. Sirmons, 1928; 
Charles M. Saunders, 1929; John T. Ferguson, 1930; O. J. Woodard, 
1931; W. Bruce Donaldson, 1932; C. W. King, 1933. 

The Club was particularly active in Underprivileged Child Welfare, 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


231 


giving ‘Minstrel Shows and operating a swimming pool, the proceeds of 
which were used in this work. The club worked with the children in the 
public schools, and was active in Boy Scout, 4-H, Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y 
work. Considerable attention was also given to Town-County relationship. 
Donations were made to the Georgia Hall Fund at Warm Springs. The 
Club also operated a Student Loan Scholarship Fund. It cooperated with 
the Board of Trade in movements for the betterment of the city and 
projects of public interest. 

The charter of this first Kiwanis Club was revoked by the International 
Board of Trustees on November 8, 1935. 

Through the efforts of this club more than 2,OCX) volumes of books 
were added to the Library of the Georgia State College for Men, now 
called Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. 


TIFTON’S SECOND KIWANIS CLUB 

The present Kiwanis Club of Tifton was organized on February 15, 
1940, with 28 members. Dr. John R. Bentley was elected president, Dr. 
G. O. Wheless, vice-president, and Mr. Horace P. Morgan, secretary- 
treasurer. 

The Presidents of the club for the seven years of its existence are as 
follows. Dr. John R. Bentley, 1940; Dr. E. L. Evans, 1941; Dr. A. G. 
LeRoy (term finished by Orin Mitchell), 1942; Dr. G. O. Wheless, 1943; 
G. N. Herring, 1944; J- C. Parker, 1945; J. W. Pehler, 1946. 

The School Lunch program was started in 1940 with equipment fur¬ 
nished by this Kiwanis Club. This work is one of the main projects of the 
club at the present time. It is primarily interested in work with Under¬ 
privileged Children. The club donated sweaters for underprivileged boys 
and girls, paid hospital bills for indigent patients, helped to furnish the 
New County Hospital in 1940, and is active in 4-H Club work, sponsoring 
various contests, in Boy Scout work, and was identified largely with all 
Bond Selling campaigns during the war, with Clothing and Food Drives, 
Red Cross work and War Relief. At Christmas time, baskets are prepared 
for the needy. 

In 1941 Tom Cordell, one of our most active members was elected to 
the position of Lieutenant Governor of the 3rd Division, Georgia District, 
Kiwanis International. 


THE TIFT COUNTY 
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

The Tift County Chamber of Commerce, which marked its 50th anni- 




232 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


versary March io, 1947, was organized in the law offices of Fulwood & 
Murry, March 10, 1897. It was then called the Tifton Board of Trade 
and Transportation. J. W. Greer was elected temporary chairman with 
J. H. Price, permanent secretary, and W. H. Love later elected perma¬ 
nent chairman. A large membership joined at the initial meeting. 

The name of this organization, which has been the hub around which 
the other organizations in the community have worked for fifty years, 
was changed three times. On May 13, 1910, 67 business men met and 
organized the Chamber of Commerce from the old Board of Trade, which 
at that time was headed by John L. Herring. Judge R. Eve gave as a 
motto for the organization “If it’s a good thing, get it for Tifton” and this 
was adopted unanimously. Officers elected were: C. W. Fulwood, presi¬ 
dent; E. A. Buck, 1st vice-president; W. W. Banks, 2nd vice-president. 
The directors included H. H. Tift, W. H. Hendricks, C. L. Parker, J. 
J. L. Phillips, J. L. Herring, L. P. Skeen, C. C. Guest, Briggs Carson, 
J. J. Golden, B. W. Mills, W. S. Cobb, John W. Greer, and I. W. Myers. 

Some time during the passing years the name was changed back to the 
Board of Trade. January 9, 1936 the name was changed again to Tift 
County Chamber of Commerce and has remained that since that time. 
That year Heber Kent w T as elected president; E. P. Bowen, Jr., and S. B. 
Lassiter, vice-presidents; B. H. McLeod, treasurer. 

Presidents of the organization during the years include Mrs. P. D. Ful¬ 
wood (only woman president), I. W. Myers, R. Eve, H. L. Moor, J. S. 
Taylor, L. E. Bowen, George W. Coleman, Joseph Kent, B. Y. Wallace, 
H. H. Hargrett, S,. B. Lassiter, G. N. Herring, E. J. Bowers, Jr., E. L. 
Rollins, W. H. Underwood. 

Branches of the Tift Chamber of Commerce were the Presidents’ Club, 
organized by Mrs. Fulwood in 1931, and the Ty Ty Board of Trade, 
organized in 1922 with R. R. Pickett, president. 

In 1922 the Tift Chamber of Commerce brought suit before the State 
Railroad Commission and Interstate Commerce Commission against the 
railway lines entering Tifton and more just rates were the result. In 1910, 
the organization campaigned for an auditorium and opera house. In 1912 
the project was a better roads campaign. In 1931 the privilege of living 
in Tifton and in Georgia was stressed. The Chamber worked with the 
Twentieth Century Library club in 1910 to secure a park site; in 1912 it 
stressed a 10,000 population for Tifton; in 1920 it helped secure the tobacco 
stemmery and re-drying plant for Tifton. In 1935 the slogan was “Keep 
Tifton Trade in Tifton.” 

The Chamber of Commerce has sponsored many projects for the good 
of the community. The Retail Merchants committee and the Tobacco 
Board of Trade have been very active. The Tifton Chamber sponsored the 
organization of the 319 Highway Association in 1947. Secretaries have 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


233 


included Mrs. Fannie Kate Hill, Mrs. Lillian T. Jones, and S. A. Spivey. 


HISTORY OF THE TIFTON GARDEN CLUB 

The Tifton Garden Club was organized July 30, 1927 in the offices 
of the Board of Trade. Fifteen of Tifton’s garden-minded ladies were 
present at the meeting. The following officers were elected: Mrs. J. S. 
Taylor, president; Miss Fannie Kate Hollingsworth (now Mrs. T. U. 
Hill), secretary; and Mrs. V. F. Dinsmore, treasurer. A membership com¬ 
mittee of five was named with Mrs. W. H. McCartney, chairman; Mrs. 
J. W. Gaulding, Mrs. C. A. Christian, and Mrs. Rebecca Martin. 

The Tifton Garden Club became a member of the Federal Garden Club 
of Georgia, in the year 1930. 

The club cherishes as its prize possession its fraternal relationship with 
all local organizations. The club has established for itself a reputation for 
service, cooperation and good-will, which is, after all, the highest goal to 
be reached by organized civic endeavor. 

During the twenty years of activity of the Tifton Garden Club a re¬ 
markable change has taken place in the general appearance of the city. In 
every quarter may be seen the results of the club’s example and precept. 
Green lawns, foundation plantings, flowering trees, evergreen shrubs, and 
back yard gardens have appeared instead of yard swept premises and dis¬ 
organized flower plantings. 

Space limits a detail record of all of the accomplishments of the Tifton 
Garden Club. 

Major facts in a brief form follow with presiding officers and the 
club’s outstanding achievements. 

Mrs. J. S. Taylor —1927-1929 

Pioneer work in school and church grounds beautification program. 
Thousands of roses and shrubs planted in Tifton. 

Mrs. W. H. Walters —1930-1931 

Promoted plan of outdoor Christmas decorations. First public flower 

show. Became member of Federated Garden Clubs. 

• 

Mrs. Fred Bell —i93i-!933 

Seven miles of highway No. 41, planted in seedling pines in cooperation 
with highway department. Fire and vandalism have destroyed all but small 
percentage. 

Mrs. Warren Baker —I 933 _I 934 

Handsome granite arch erected in Fulwood Park, at approximate cost 
of $1,000.00, in honor of Columbus Wesley Fulwood, beloved citizen, who 
was father and founder of the park. 



234 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Mrs. P. D. Fulwood — 1934-1935 

Granite memorial marker erected in Fulwood Park, approximate cost 
$500.00, in honor of John Lewis Herring, editor of the Daily Tifton 
Gazette. 

Mrs. J. L. Bowen —1935-1936 

Cooperated with the city and W.P.A. in laying water mains and in¬ 
stalling general watering systems in the Tifton Cemetery. This project 
cost more than $1,000.00, made possible the transformation of barren land 
into a veritable garden of grass, trees and shrubs. 

Mrs. E. P. Bowen, Jr. —1936-1938 

Municipal rose garden of formal design planted with 300 choice rose 
bushes in Fulwood Park. Hundreds of azaleas and native shrubs also plant¬ 
ed in Fulwood Park. Unsightly snipe signs removed from highway No. 41, 
through the best residential section of Tifton. 

Mrs. T. U. Hill —1938-1940 

Planted drive in front of cemetery and alley-ways throughout the Tifton 
Cemetery with thousands of dogwood and redbud trees. Added numbers 
of dogwood and redbud trees, and also replanted lost trees of the same 
nature in Fulwood Park. Dogwood and redbud trees added beauty to the 
City of Tifton during this period. 

Mrs. John Fulwood —1940-1942 

Landscaped and beautified the city Water Works with azaleas, camellias, 
rose bushes and evergreen shrubs. Truck loads of dirt were used to level 
the lots at the cemetery before re-sodding with Bermuda grass. Approxi¬ 
mately 500 seedling pines planted on the lots throughout the Tifton Ceme¬ 
tery. 

Mrs. R. S. Dormiey —1942-1944 

Attention centered almost entirely on war work. Cooperated with Ameri¬ 
can Red Cross in local departments, such as Production, Surgical Band¬ 
ages, U.S.O., Citizen’s Defense Committees, and War Savings Council. 
Tift County Hospital grounds landscaped and planted to harmonize with 
the picturesque beauty of Fulwood Park, which the hospital faces. 

Mrs. F. IJ. Corry —1944-1946 

Continued to assist with all local civilian war work. Sponsored the plant¬ 
ing of 550 dogwood trees as memorials to the men and women from Tifton 
and Tift County who were in service for their country. An improvement 
program for the Tift County Hospital grounds and Fulwood Park in¬ 
cluded the purchase of new benches and a better lighting system. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


235 


Mrs. JV. A. Hodges —1946-1948 

At the end of one half of the Club’s fiscal year a rose garden at the Tift 
County Hospital was completed. The sole purpose of the garden is to keep 
fresh roses in the rooms of all patients during rose blooming season. 


THE COUNTRY CLUB 

In 1927 when J. S. Taylor was president of the Tifton Board of Trade, 
among the achievements of the year was the Cabin Country Club, now 
called the Country Cluh. After the members selected a location, J. L. 
Hoffman, a landscape gardener w T ho had just completed Radium Springs, 
Albany, Georgia, laid out an eight-hole golf course. The site is its present 
location, two and a half miles southwest, just off the paved Tifton-Moultrie 
highway. 

The tract of land acquired by thirty progressive Tifton citizens con¬ 
tained one hundred acres and a lake. This body of water, effected by 
engineers closing the old Mclnnis millrace, and the border of stately long 
leaf pines on the south banks of the lake make a beautiful setting for the 
clubhouse and golf course. This spot is one of the prettiest outings in South 
Georgia. Professional golf players assert that this location is ideal for golf. 
Old settlers say that the fishing there is the best in the county. 

For the early settlement of this section pioneers used the water bor¬ 
dering this site for a grist mill, which ground meal for the early settlers. 
According to tradition, the owner threw up with an ox and spades dirt for 
one-eighth of a mile. Strenuous labor for several years was necessary in the 
completion of the millrace. One of the speakers at the initial club banquet 
facetiously commented: “It is a dam by a mill site; but not a mill by a 
dam site.” 

The present membership of this club has grown to about two hundred 
members. The club house is modern. The original building of logs is used 
for the caretaker, golf equipment, and lockers. 

This location, one-half mile from paved route 50 and one mile from 
paved highway 41 is accessible to Tifton people. 

This project started with an investment of $5,500, but the improve¬ 
ment on grounds, club house, and deep wells have increased investment 
to $20,000. Jim J. Clyatt was on the grounds committee in the beginning 
and isrstill serving in many official capacities. 

Mr. J. S. Taylor was the first president of the Country Club, and Mr. 
L. L. Kennedy is the president now. Mr. Warren Baker, Norman Park, 
Georgia, served as president and in many official capacities as well as be¬ 
ing one of the original stockholders. The late Dr. W. T. Smith, Dr. W. 
H. Hendricks, Dr. Pittman, the late I. W. Myers, C. A. Fulwood, and 



236 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


the late H. H. Tift, Jr., Cliff Parker, R. S'. Short, C. R. Choat, L. E. 
Bowen, Sr., Ben Bowen, Paul Fulwood, Steve Mitchell, Sr., C. O. Eng¬ 
land, Sr., J. S. Taylor, Sam Lassiter, Ralph Puckett, and Billie Barlow 
were original stockholders. The late I. W. Myers, G. W. Fulwood, and 
H. H. Tift, Jr., helped to organize the club. L. E. Bowen, Sr., the second 
president, was one of the organizers. Fannie Kate Hollingsworth, former 
secretary of Board of Trade, rendered valuable assistance to the club. 


GARDEN CENTER ESTABLISHED IN TIFTON 

Through a generous offer made by the Tift County Chamber of Com¬ 
merce, the Tifton Garden Club and the Primrose Garden Club have been 
able to establish a Garden Center in the Chamber of Commerce Building. 

The purpose of the Garden Center is to create interest in gardening 
and flower growing in Tifton and Tift County, and to create or provide 
a centralized source of information for interested gardeners. 

The plan of the clubs is to have attractive furnishings of pictures “in 
color” of Tifton gardens, comfortable chairs and tables, seasonal flower 
arrangements at all times and bookshelves for the Garden library. 

The clubs hope that Tifton and Tift County gardeners will enjoy and 
benefit by this public Garden Center. Visitors to our city are cordially 
invited to visit our gardens and enjoy the Center with us during their 
stay in Tifton. 


TIFTON PARENT-TEACHER’S ASSOCIATIONS 

The Tifton Parent-Teacher’s Associaitons were organized in the fall of 
1928. Mrs. T. A. Mitchell, Sr., Mrs. G. H. Clark, Mrs. J. L. Cochran, 
and a few ladies from Douglas helped with the organization of the asso¬ 
ciation. At that time a City Council was organized, which functioned until 
1936. There was also at one time a City Council. The County Council 
reorganized in 1945 with Mrs. Earl Olson as president. The three Tifton 
associations are members of the County Council. The other associations 
making up the council are Omega, Brookfield and Chula. 

No club in Tifton has done more effective work than the Parent- 
Teacher’s Associations, which have sponsored lunch room programs, equip¬ 
ment for playgrounds and lunch rooms, for the high school an eighteen 
hundred dollar grand piano, which probably now would cost twice as 
much, furnishing of rest rooms, and suppers to make money for the schools. 
This year the High School P.-T. A. with Mrs. E. U. Holder president, 
helped to remove a large debt on the high school lunch room equipment. 

Presidents of Tifton Parent-Teacher Associations: 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


237 


i 937 _i 938 —Grammar School, Mrs. E. U. Holder; Junior High School, 
Mrs. O. M. Sanders; High School, Mrs. W. J. Boyette. 

1938-1939—Grammar School, Mrs. J. M. Carr; Junior High School, 
Mrs. Bob Herring; High School, Mrs. W. A. Rowan. 

I 939 _I 94 °—Grammar School, Mrs. J. M. Carr; Junior High School, 
Mrs. Bob Herring. 

1940- 1941—Grammar School, Mrs. Joseph Morton; Junior High School, 
Mrs. T. C. Tidwell. 

1941- 1942—Grammar School, Mrs. Joseph Morton; Junior High School, 
Mrs. Baldwin Davis. 

1942- 1943—Grammar School, Mrs. Joe Kent, Jr.; Junior High School, 
Mrs. Baldwin Davis. 

1943- 1944—Grammar School, Mrs. Joe Kent, Jr.; Junior High School, 
Mrs. L. O. Shaw. Mrs. Earl Olson was elected to serve the unex¬ 
pired term of Mrs. Joe Kent, Jr., and Mrs. J. E. Newton was elected 

to serve the unexpired term of Mrs. L. O. Shaw. 

• 

1944- 1945—Grammar School, Mrs. Earl Olson; Junior High School, 
Mrs. J. E. Newton. 

1945- 1946—Grammar School, Mrs. Earl Olson; Junior High School, 
Mrs. O. J. Woodward. The County Council was reorganized with 
Mrs. Earl Olson, president. 

1946- 1947—County Council, Mrs. Earl Olson; Grammar School, Mrs. 
J. P. Short; Junior High School, Mrs. R. E. Martin. The High 
School P.-T. A. was reorganized with Mrs. E. U. Holder president. 

1947- 1948—City Council, Mrs. J. B. Chapman, Chula; Grammar 
School, Mrs. J. P. Short; Junior High School, Mrs. R. E. Martin; 
High School, Mrs. E. U. Holder. 

Presidents of Tifton Parent-Teacher Associations: 

1928- 1929—Council, Mrs. S. A. Youmans; Grammar School, Mrs. A. 
B. Phillips; Junior High School, Mrs. Lynn Brannen; High School, 
Mrs. C. A. Christian. 

1929- 1930—Council, Mrs. P. D. Fuhvood; Grammar School, Mrs. Frank 
Corry; Junior High School, Mrs. A. D. Daniel; High School, Mrs. 
Ralph Walton 

1 930- i93i—Council, Mrs P. D. Fulwood; Grammar School, Mrs. Frank 
Corry; Junior High School, Mrs. Joe Kent, Sr.; High School. Mrs. 
Ralph Walton. 

1931- I932—Council, Mrs. A. C. Tift; Grammar School, Mrs. S. R. 
Bowen; Junior High School, Mrs. G. O. Wheless; High School, 
Mrs. I. C. Touchstone, Sr. 


238 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


1932-1933—Council, Mrs. H. S. Garrison; Grammar School, Mrs. S. R. 
Bowen; Junior High School, Mrs. G. O. Wheless; High School, 
Mrs. A. J. Whitehurst. 

I 933 _I 934—Council, Mrs. I. C. Touchstone, Sr.; Grammar School, Mrs. 
W. H. Walters; Junior High School, Mrs. G. N. Herring; High 
School, Mrs. A. J. Whitehurst. 

1934- 1935—Council, Mrs. C. S. Pittman, Sr.; Grammar School, Mrs. 
W. H. Walters; Junior High School, Mrs. G. N. Herring; High 
School, Mrs. J. A. Johnson. 

1 935- i936—Council, Mrs. Geo. Webb; Grammar School, Mrs. R. C. 
Bowen; Junior High School, Mrs. C. S. Pittman, Sr.; High School, 
Mrs. W. A. Rowan. 

1936- 1937—Grammar School, Mrs. E. U. Holder; Junior High School, 
Mrs. C. S. Pittman, Sr.; High School, Mrs. W. J. Boyette. 


UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY 
by Ella Pate Carson 
(Historian of Charlotte Carson Chapter 
United Daughters of the Confederacy ) 

In March 1908 Judge and Mrs. T. J. Latham of Memphis, Tennessee, 
en route to their home from Florida stopped in Tifton for a brief stay. 
Mrs. Latham being Vice-President General of the U.D.C., began look¬ 
ing for material with which to organize a chapter in Tifton. Leading 
women were contacted and meetings were called at the Myon Hotel. 
After a few meetings in which plans and purposes were discussed the 
organization came into being. It was decided to name it the Charlotte Car- 
son Chapter in honor of the widow of the hero of Fort Steadman, Captain 
Joseph Carson. The following officers were elected: 

President—Mrs. Charlotte Briggs Carson 

First Vice-President—Mrs. Susie Tillman Moore 

Second Vice-President—Mrs. Lelia DeLaughtre Gatchell 

Registrar—Mrs. Bessie Willingham Tift 

Recording Secretary—Mrs. Mary Williams Giddens 

Corresponding Secretary—Mrs. Virginia Cunningham Pinkston 

Historian—Mrs. Ella Pate Carson 

Treasurer— 

Twenty-four members applied for charter. Immediately plans were made 
to make charter night a public occasion. On April 10, 1908 at eight-thirty^, 
in the evening a program was presented in the school auditorium, now the 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


239 


Grammar School. Mr. W. L. Harman was master of ceremonies. George 
E. Simpson made the address of welcome. Rev. Wiley Pipkin, a veteran, 
gave the invocation. Mrs. Latham presented the charter and also a gavel 
made of wood from a Tennessee battlefield. Mrs. Carson received the 
charter and the gavel with words of appreciation. Dixie was sung by 
thirteen little girls. Little Bula Bivins, granddaughter of Mrs. Carson, 
sang a popular song. An account of the capture of Fort Steadman was 
read by Mrs. Susie T. Moore. Estora Timmons read “The Conquered 
Banner.” Lillian Britt sang The Homespun Dress. Nine veterans occupied 
the stage and gave reminiscences of the War Between the States. The Tif- 
ton Band played selections throughout the evening. A color scheme of red 
and white made the decorations, with a Confederate flag, brought from 
the battlefield by Veteran M. Dinsmore, occupying a conspicuous place 
on the stage. Plans were made to observe Memorial Day, April 26. Dr. 
W. L. Pickard, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Savannah, was chosen 
speaker. During the thirty-eight years of the chapter’s existence Memorial 
Day has been observed each year. Governor Hoke Smith and Senator 
Walter F. George are among the eminent statesmen to deliver addresses. 
Distinguished citizens of Tifton have also served in this capacity. 

The next project of the chapter was to plan for a monument. Contri¬ 
butions were solicited from County Commissioners and citizens of Tifton 
and the county. These generous contributions were encouraging and in 
April 1909 an order was placed with the McNeal Marble Company. The 
monument was constructed of Georgia and Italian marble at a cost of 
$2,000.00. Various methods of raising money to meet the payments were 
employed such as rummage sales, sales of home-made cakes and candies, ice 
cream festivals, oyster suppers, theatricals by home talent, and sponsoring 
of picture shows. 

On Tuesday, April 26, 1910, the First Baptist Church was the scene 
for the program preceding the unveiling of the monument which was located 
at the intersection of Fourth Street and Love Avenue. The U.D.C. colors, 
red and white, were used to decorate the church. Briggs and Keith Carson, 
E. P. Bowen, John Greer and O. Lee Chesnutt were ushers. There was 
an escort of sixty-two veterans; there were also many visitors from adjoin¬ 
ing counties. The officers of the chapter occupied the rostrum: 

President—Mrs. Charlotte Briggs Carson 

First Vice-President—Mrs. Donnie Traylor Hudson 

Second Vice-President—Mrs. Rowena McClendon Parker (Mrs. T. J.) 

Treasurer—Mrs. Ida Mae McCormick Johnson 

Secretary—Mrs. E. L. Overby 

Historian—Mrs. Ella Pate Carson 

Mrs. Oren Gatchell and Miss Carrie Fulwood 

A choir composed of Mrs. J. J. Golden, Mrs. L. P. Greer, Mrs. Scar- 


240 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


borough, and Messrs. Davis, Beasley and Myers sang “All Hail the Power 
of Jesus’ Name.” Mrs. C. B. Carson presided. W. W. Banks, son of a 
veteran and the mayor of Tifton, spoke in appreciation of the occasion. The 
orator of the day, Judge George Hillyer of Atlanta, was introduced by 
George E. Simpson. After the address, Mrs. Susie T. Moore delivered 
bronze crosses to eighteen veterans, paying a beautiful tribute to the Con¬ 
federate soldiers. The following veterans received crosses: O. L. Ches- 
nutt, G. M. Cannon, G. W. Guest, D. A. Fulwood, J. G. McRae, J. C. 
Sumner, W. A. Patton, W. H. Oliver, D. R. Willis, R. H. Swain, W. W. 
Webb, C. A. Williams, R. E. Wheeliss, R. H. Hutchinson, M. Dinsmore, 
B. C. Hutchinson, S. J,. Glover, Robert Henderson, and crosses ordered for 
twelve others had failed to arrive. Exercises were continued at the monu¬ 
ment. A chorus of thirteen girls sang “The Sunny South” written by Julia 
Spalding of Atlanta. Each girl represented a seceding state: Gertrude 
Robinson, Arkansas; Nellie Timmons, South Carolina; Blanch Britt, 
North Carolina; Clara Bell Duff, Tennessee; Jacie Webb, Maryland; Nel¬ 
lie Guest, Virginia; Melona Scarborough, Alabama; Ada Padrick, Georgia; 
Margurite O’Neal, Florida; Augusta Skeen, Missouri; Jennie Soul, Texas; 
Amelia Hargrett, Mississippi; Estelle Morgan, Louisiana. As Miss Carrie 
Fulwood pulled the cord that unveiled the monument music played by 
the band wafted to the breezes. Thus ended a momentous occasion in the 
history of the Charlotte Carson Chapter U.D.C. 

The Charlotte Carson Chapter was the inspiration to the Confederate 
veterans of the county to organize a camp with the following officers: 

Commander—C. A. Williams 

First Lieutenant—S. A. Lipps 

Secretary—C. F. Miller 

Chaplain—W. W. Webb 

Editor J. L. Herring was made an honorary member. There were about 
forty members of the camp which functioned for several years. 

No opportunity is lost by the chapter to interest the youth in Southern 
history. In the spring of 1911 Captain E. V. White of Norfolk, Va., was 
visiting his niece, Mrs. Joseph Kent; the chapter arranged for him to ap¬ 
pear before the school and give an account of the battle between the Moni¬ 
tor and the Merrimac. He having been captain of the Merrimac gave 
a graphic and authentic description. 

In the autumn of 1916 Miss Millie Rutherford gave her famous address 
on the Old South to a Tifton audience. 

Almost every year the Tifton schools have entered the essay contest 
sponsored by the chapter. In 1909 the chapter furnished a scholarship to a 
Tift County girl. Liberal contributions have been made each year to the 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


241 


educational fund and to all other causes sponsored by the Georgia Divi¬ 
sion U.D.C. 

In 1930 the graves of thirty veterans were marked. Mrs. Ella Pate Car- 
son was in charge of this project. Markers were placed for: J. B. Arring¬ 
ton, William D. Brady, J. J. Baker, J. T. Beverly, Sr., Solomon Mills 
Cottle, B. N. Bowen, James Harrison Ford, J. J. Fillyaw, Goodman 
Bryant, S. J. Glover, J. J. Goodman, F. L. Hall, Robert H. Hutchinson, 
Luda P. Jones, Benjamin F. Kennedy, Jack Lindsey, J. W. Mitchell, W. 
A. Nipper, William H. G. Oliver, Anthony Oliver, J. R. Patterson, W. 
A. Patton, J. F. Paul, Joseph Shirley, Robert H. Swain, G. W. Willis, 
Barney Willis, James J. Willis, Chesley A. Williams, J. G. Young. Later 
a marker was placed on the grave of B. P. Leach. 

In 1937 Mr. B. P. Leach, the only surviving veteran of Tift County, 
invited the forty-fourth annual convention of the United Confederate Vet¬ 
erans to meet in Tifton October 13, 14, 15. The Charlotte Carson Chap¬ 
ter sponsored this event. The local staff consisted of Mrs. E. U. Holder, 
president; Mrs. C. B. Holmes, Mrs. O. J. Woodard, Mrs. A. L. Bowden, 
Mrs. J. N. Mitchell, Mrs. Joseph Kent, and Mrs. W. L. Gaulding. The 
Civic Clubs and other organizations contributed toward making this one 
of the most delightful occasions ever brought to Tifton. 

The following have served as presidents throughout the years: Mrs. 
Charlotte Briggs Carson, five years; Mrs. Etfyel McCormick Hendry, 
(M. E.) four years; Mrs. Rosalie Marshall Mitchell (J. N.), sixteen 
years; Mrs. Elsberry Dana Kent (Joseph), six years; Mrs Sankie Chiles 
Holder (E. U.), seven years. 

The officers recently elected are: 

President—Mrs. J. N. Mitchell 
Vice-President—Mrs. E. U. Holder 
Secretary-Treasurer—Mrs. S. A. Martin 
Corresponding Secretary—Mrs. Joseph Kent 
Historian—Mrs. Ella Pate Carson 
Program Chairman—Mrs. W. L. Harman 
Registrar—Miss Verna Parker. 

Active members Charlotte Carson Chapter U.D.C. 1946 and 1947 : 
Mrs. J. N. Mitchell, Mrs. E. U. Holder, Mrs. S. A. Martin, Mrs. Ralph 
Johnson, Mrs. C. B. Holmes, Mrs. Briggs Carson, Mrs. T. E. Jolley, 
Mrs. John G. Padrick, Miss Lizzie Fulwood, Mrs. O. J. Woodward, Mrs. 
W. H. Underwood, Mrs. J. D. Cofer, Mrs. Willard Gaulding, Mrs. J. 
W, Miller, Mrs. Joseph Kent, Miss Verna Parker, Mrs. Harriet Good¬ 
man Harman, Mrs. Marietta Goodman Vickers, Mrs. R. W. Goodman, 
Mrs. A. L. Bowden, Mrs. Marion Holmes. 

Deceased—Mrs. Charlotte Briggs Carson, Mrs. Leila De Laughter 


242 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Gatchell (Oren), Mrs. Fannie Lee Thrasher Goggans, Mrs. Ethel John¬ 
son Puckett (W. A.), Mrs. Rowena McLendon Parker (T. JO, Mrs. 
Leila Estill Hargrett. (A. M.), Mrs. Eliza Chestnutt Britt (H. H.), 
Mrs. Meta Deering Fulwood (C. W.), Mrs. Abbie Clements Rousseau 
(J. L.), Miss Ava Virginia Baker, Mrs. Ethel McCormick Hendry 
(M. E.), Mrs. Elizabeth Turner Bowen (E. P.), Mrs. Bessie Willing¬ 
ham Tift (H. H.), Mrs. Belle Willingham Lawrence, Mrs. Grady Cun¬ 
ningham Short (T. H.), Mrs. Virginia Cunningham Pinkston (N. D.), 
Mrs. Beatrice Hunter Thurman (L. P.), Mrs. Willie Wade Spooner 
(W. H.), Mrs. Mae Dell Hendricks (W. H.), Mrs. Cora Tyson Hol¬ 
lingsworth. 

Confederate Veterans of Tift County, May, 1910—William H. Oliver, 
M. McIntosh, M. Dinsmore, G. T. Glover, J. G. McRae, A. Johnson, 
W. W. Webb, B. H. Hutchinson, J. J. Baker, R. H. Swain, W. C. 

Price, W. A. Patten, T. C. Moore, I. S'. Gaulding, W. B. Johns, G. A. 
Goff, G. W. Guest, S. P. Dubose, J. A. Whalev, J. B. McNeal, A. J. 
Pope, J. J. Tucker, B. N. Bowen, S. O’Quinn, D. R. Willis, T. M. 

Green, W. H. Oliver, N. C. Greer, Joel Corley, G. W. Willis, W. H. 

Partridge. 


TIFT COUNTY WELFARE DEPARTMENT 
Cassie E. Goff 

During the year 1932, there was wide-spread unemployment in Tift 
County as well as over all of the country. Surpluses were stacked up in 
warehouses and stock piles w T hile the people who helped to produce them 
suffered because they had nothing with which to get back these products. 
It was a problem of national scope. 

The County Commissioners, headed by N. L. Coarsey, chairman, and 
the City Manager George Coleman, accepted a plan to borrow funds from 
the Reconstruction Finance Corporation through the Georgia Relief Com¬ 
mission for the purpose of employing those in need of work. They appoint¬ 
ed a county administrator and a projects engineer. The plan proved totally 
inadequate. At this point the Federal Government came into the picture. 
Work relief passed over to Civil Works Administration. 

Cassie Goff, the same administrator, was appointed and she became the 
executive head of operations for the Civil Works Administration in the 
county. The administrator, a board of five men serving in an advisory 
capacity, and a staff of from fifteen to twenty assistants, comprised the 
county department. 

Within three months after the work program was instituted, over one 
thousand unemployed had registered, but the peak of the load of those 
working at one time was close to five hundred. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


243 


Under the Civil Works Administration, those accepted for work relief 
were paid a minimum of forty cents per hour. The men worked on projects 
which were beneficial to the general public. In Tift County, drainage for 
the prevention of malaria was carried on under the supervision of a 
health engineer. Stumping and clearing land on property of the Georgia 
Coastal Plain Experiment Station and Abraham Baldwin College were 
done on an extensive scale. 

The work program changed over to the Georgia Emergency Relief 
Administration in 1934, under which administration it was possible to 
pay for relief in almost every field of human need. Conditions were such 
that emergency measures were justified and the administrator was author¬ 
ized to meet drastic needs. 

Under this program work was allocated up to the number of hours 
required by a man to earn his budgetary needs. 

In 1935 the activity passed to the Works Progress Administration, with 
the emphasis again on work relief throughout the Works Projects Adminis¬ 
tration, which ended in 1937. 

Under the Federal Surplus Commodity Corporation, surpluses were 
taken off a glutted market and turned over to the welfare department to 
be distributed to those whose need had been established. Thus, they did 
not compete with private markets, relieved an overload, and enabled the 
person without sufficient funds to have better food. This program was 
carried over into the County Welfare Department as was the Civilian 
Conservation Corps, where unemployed young men were enlisted in work 
camps for training and conservation of natural resources. 

The Tift County Department of Public Welfare, in its present form, 
was established under the Reorganization Act of 1937, a Georgia law 
which set up a welfare department under the jurisdiction of the State De¬ 
partment of Public Welfare in each county. Under this law, a county wel¬ 
fare board of five members, headed by Chairman, Sam Lassiter, was ap¬ 
pointed by the State Director of Public Welfare. The executive head of 
the county department was known as the county director. Cassie E. Goff, 
who had administrated all of the previous assistance programs, was ap¬ 
pointed by the county board, approved by the State Director. 

The plan of operations for the County Welfare Department was de¬ 
signed to meet approval of the Social Security Board, and the provisions 
of the act enabled state residents to receive benefits provided under certain 
State and Federal laws. 

When the State Welfare Department was set up in 1937 ? relief giving 
was segregated into categories. The Tift County Department of Public 
Welfare was conscious of the variety of its community problems. Every 
effort was sustained to keep the administration well rounded and develop 
all resources to meet varying needs. 


244 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


The number applying for assistance far exceeded the expectancy. County 
offices were deluged with old age assistance applications. In Tift County, 
a sole director was provided on the staff by the state plan, and often she 
spent the entire day taking applications, with still at night a waiting line 
which she had been unable to interview. Before the applications could be 
approved, a field investigation had to be completed. A brief, recording all 
documentary evidence used in setting up eligibility, was filed and the case 
given to the Board for its decision. With registration reaching one hundred 
per month, the office was almost deadlocked at first. After the director’s day 
was taken up with applications, there was little time left for completing 
claims. Soon the Tift County authorities saw the wisdom of employing 
additions to the staff. 

Probably the major activity of the Welfare Department during its first 
years was to administer old age assistance. Because it required a minimum 
age limit in order to qualify, many people over sixty-five confused it with 
an old age pension. Disappointment was expressed when people of sixty- 
five years of age learned that the plan was not designed for those whose 
living needs were met from some other source. Indeed, many people re¬ 
fused to accept the grant when they learned that liens were taken on their 
property. This practice was early discontinued and the interpretation of 
need has grown more liberal as the years have passed. 

The Tift County Department granted full need based on a minimum 
standard, from the beginning of the program in 1937 until May 1939 
when lack of funds forced a cut. In 1946, it was again possible to raise 
grants to 85% of the standard, but limit of funds allocated to the county 
held down the total number of those receiving assistance. 

Aid to dependent children provided a plan for those under sixteen who 
were deprived of parental support. Among its major aims were to enable a 
widowed mother to keep her children with her, to hold families together, 
to strengthen the home situation of those groups deprived of a bread win¬ 
ner. 

It was hoped that under this plan the orphaned child might have the 
same health, education, and welfare advantages as other children. The 
program has met such a definite need, one wonders why the country was 
so long making a place for it. 

A plan of assistance for the blind was also inaugurated when the De¬ 
partment was set up in 1937. 

When the welfare office was established in 1937, it was aga ; n a county 
organization, although it administered benefits drawn from Federal and 
State sources. Upon the advice of the State Welfare Department, the local 
alms house was closed and general relief passed over from the County 
Commissioners office to the Welfare Department This change threw the 
welfare doors wide open, for General Relief is assistance to the needy 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


245 


without category. Every person in this group who could qualify was shifted 
to some other plan. 

Previous to 1937, a goodly proportion of the county welfare funds had 
been spent for medical care and this factor influenced the demand made 
upon the Welfare Department. 

Crippled Children’s service was available through the Welfare Depart¬ 
ment. Crippled children referred by doctors were invited to clinics set up 
by a staff of doctors and nurses in various sections of the State. After 
examination and diagnosis, orthopedic cases were treated by the State 
Crippled Children’s Service. In Tift County, however, treatment had 
already broadened out beyond this scope through the use of other funds. 
The Georgia Crippled Children’s League became an important factor in 
the treatment of children. It was their policy to accept any handicapped 
child and they cooperated with the Welfare Department in a willing way. 
They were of tremendous value. The National Foundation for Infantile 
Paralysis was another coordinating service. They accepted welfare cases 
for treatment and in turn the Department did investigations for them. 
Local churches and civic clubs have had an important share of the activity 
in this field for when called upon, they never failed to respond. 

As the years passed, the programs that were no longer needed were 
closed. The surplus commodity plan and the work programs were ended 
in 1937. The Welfare Department’s functions have changed to meet 
changing needs. 

During the Second World War, the Director served as medical field 
agent to the Selective Service Board and was available for special reports 
to other Government departments. This plan was followed by another 
service added in behalf of the State Hospital at Milledgeville. The case 
workers are doing psychological case histories for the use of the psychiatrist 
in diagnosis and treatment of patients. 


TIFTON MASONIC LODGE, NO. 47 

Chartered November 1, 1883, at Tifton, in Berrien County. First offi¬ 
cers named on charter: J. S. Gaulding, Worshipful Master; J. L. Mat¬ 
thews, Senior Warden; J. G. Graydon, Junior Warden. 

Grand Lodge Officers: John S. Davidson, Grand Master; James M. 
Rushin, Deputy Grand Master; Reuben Jones, Senior Grand Warden; 
J. H. Estill, Junior Grand Warden; Joseph E. Wells, Grand Treasurer; 
J. E. Blackshear, Grand Secretary. 

First return of officers and members made to the Grand Lodge Office, 
in 1884; J- S. Gaulding, Worshipful Master; J. L. Matthews, Senior 
Warden; J. G. Graydon, Junior Warden; J. W. Overstreet, Treasurer; 



246 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


L. J. Riggins, Secretary; J. D. Calhoun, Senior Deacon; H. C. Overstreet, 
Junior Deacon; D. Mclnis, Senior Steward; J. Pope, Junior Steward; B. 
J. Holland, Tyler; S. N. Adams, W. S. Bussey, H. C. Baker, Zachariah 
Bass, J. L. Bass, F. M. Coker, R. V. Douglas, J. J. F. Goodman, J. B. 
Huff, R. T. Kendrick, J. E. McRae, John Murrow, J. W. Morrison. 

Following are the names of Worshipful Masters, Secretaries and Treas¬ 
urers who have served the Lodge: 

Master Secretary T reasurer 

1885— J- S. Gaulding, J. G. Graydon, J. W. Overstreet. 

1886— J. S. Gaulding, L. J. Riggins, J. G. Graydon. 

1887— J. S. Gaulding, J. A. McCrea, J. G. Graydon. 

1888— J. S. Gaulding, J. E. Knight, J. G. Graydon. 

1889— J. S. Gaulding, J. E. Knight, J. G. Graydon. 

1890— J. S. Gaulding, M. A. Sexton, J. G. Graydon. 

1891— J. B. Hannon, W. H. Love, J. G. Graydon. 

1892— C. A. Williams, E. E. Youmans, J. G. Graydon. 

1893— F. G. Boatright, W. H. Love, J. G. Graydon. 

1894— John Pope, W. H. Love, J. G. Graydon. 

1895— W. H. Love, J. A. McCrea, J. G. Graydon. 

1896— J. S. Gaulding, B. T. Cole, J. G. Graydon. 

1897— W. H. Love, O. L, Chesnutt, E. P. Bowen. 

1898— John G. Graydon, O. L. Chesnutt, E. P. Bowen. 

1899— W. F. Rudisill, O. L. Chesnutt, E. P. Bowen. 

1900— J. S. Gaulding, O. L. Chesnuttt, E. P. Bowen. 

1901— J. S. Gaulding, O. L. Chesnutt, E. P. Bowen. 

1902— J. S. Gaulding. O. L. Chesnutt, E. P. Bowen. 

1903— G. L. Blalock, O. L. Chesnutt, E. P. Bowen. 

1904— T. C. Gray, O. L. Chesnutt, E. P. Bowen. 

1905— M. M. Haygood, O. L. Chesnutt, E. P. Bowen. 

1906— M. M. Haygood, O. L. Chesnutt, E. P. Bowen. 

1907— T. A. Shipp, Jr., G. L. Blalock, E. P. Bowen. 

1908— J. S. Gaulding, G. L. Blalock, E. P. Bowen. 

1909— J. S. Hutchinson, G. L. Blalock, E. P. Bowen. 

1910— J. S. Hutchinson, G. L. Blalock, E. P. Bowen. 

1911— M. Tucker, G. L. Blalock, T. D. Smith. 

1912— M. Tucker, G. L. Blalock, T. D. Smith. 

1913— Alex Kemp, G. L. Blalock, E. P. Bowen. 

1914— W. W. Banks, G. L. Blalock, E. P. Bowen. 

1915— S. F. Overstreet, G. L. Blalock, E. P. Bowen. 

1916— Alex Kemp, G. L. Blalock, E. P. Bowen 

1917— Alex Kemp, G. L. Blalock, E. P. Bowen. 

1918— Alex Kemp, Frank NeSmith, E. P. Bowen. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


247 


1919— ^—S. A. Matthews, G. L. Blalock, E. P. Bowen. 

1920— A. J. Hutchinson, R. M. Lankford, E. P. Bowen. 

19 21 — C. W. Durden, R. L. Little, E. P. Bowen. 

1922— E. Lloyd Knight, R. H. Little, E. P. Bowen. 

1923— George P. McCranie, R. H. Little, E. P, Bowen, Sr. 

1924— Linwood Pickard, R. H. Little, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1925— J- H. Hutchinson, E. O’Quinn, Jr., E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1926— B. K. Hardison, E. O’Quin, Jr., E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1927— B. K. Hardison, E. O’Quin, Jr.-I. Y. Conger, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1928— C. C. Stripling, I. Y. Conger, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1929— W. A. Ross, I. Y. Conger, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

J 930—W. T. Roughton, I. Y. Conger, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1931— I* Y. Conger, J. B. Hollingsworth, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1932— S. L. Marr, W. T. Roughton, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1933— Jas. R. Belflower, W. T. Roughton, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1934— B. K. Hardison, W. T. Roughton, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1935— J. M. Tyson, J. B. Hollingsworth, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1936— E. W. Spooner, J. B. Hollingsworth, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1937— F. B. Wilson, J. B. Hollingsworth, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1938— B. K. Hardison, J. B. Hollingsworth-Jas. R. Belflower, E. P. 
Bowen, Sr. 

1939— J. M. Malloy, Jas. R. Belflower, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1940— J. M. Malloy, Jas. R. Belflower, E. P. Bowen. Sr. 

1941— Ira D. Hutchinson, Jas. R. Belflower, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1942— Joel Hubbard, Jas. R. Belflower, E. P. Bowen, Sr. 

1943— Rev. F. O. Mixon-J. P. Culpepper, Jas. R. Belflower, I. L. Con¬ 
ger. 

1944— J°el Hubbard, Jas. R. Belflower, I. Y. Conger. 

1945— Joel Hubbard, Jas. R. Belflower, I. Y. Conger. 

1946— Moss G. Dozier, Jas. R. Belflower, I. Y. Conger. 

1947— Joel Hubbard, Jas. R. Belflower, I. Y. Conger. 

There are three hundred-fifty members of the Tifton Lodge and this 
organization owns its three-story building. 


TIFTON SHRINE CLUB 
by J. W. Pehler 

The Tifton Shrine Club was organized in December 1945. Formal 
acceptance of charter took place at a dinner dance held at the Myon 
Hotel on May 8, 1946. The charter was presented by the Illustrious 
Potentate John C. Hebmken of Alee Temple, Savannah, Georgia. 

Club officers are: John W. Pehler, president; Eben W. Spooner, vice- 



248 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


president; B. L. Hinson, secretary; C. C. Robinson, treasurer; Frank H. 
Smith, director; James R. Belflower, director; E. S. Grant, director; W. 
T. Hawkins, director. 

This club consists of members from an area including a radius of 
thirty miles surrounding Tifton. The purpose of the club is to help with 
all civic affairs in the community. 


VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS 

The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States traces its origin 
to a group of thirteen Spanish-American War Veterans which was formed 
in 1899. In the forty-seven years intervening, the Veterans of Foreign Wars 
has grown to a membership of about 2,000,000 members, and every mem¬ 
ber a veteran of Overseas Service. The Veterans of, Foreign Wars is to¬ 
day one of the largest if not the largest Veterans organization in the United 
States. Our commander-in-chief today is Joseph M. Stack. 

The local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, named in honor of the first 
Tift County boy killed in action, Garland Anderson of Omega, was organ¬ 
ized in 1946. He was killed at Pearl Harbor in the beginning of the war. 
Until April 1946 all men who joined were charter members. 

The following officers were in command in 1946: Dan Moor, com¬ 
mander; Oria Powers, senior vice-commander; L. U. Payne, junior vice¬ 
commander; Bobby J. Mixon, quartermaster. Trustees: George Slager, 
Harris Walker, Fred Durden. 


WOODMEN OF THE WORLD 
PRESENT OFFICERS OF CAMPS IN GOOD STANDING 
AS OF APRIL 15, 1947 
144 GEORGIA 

Financial Secretary __ A. L. Bowden_P. O. Box 143, Tifton, Ga. 

Banker---102 W. 7th St., Tifton, Ga. 

Consul Commander...Joseph K. Branch_215 13th St., Tifton, Ga. 

Adviser Lieutenant __M. M. Fletcher____R.F.D. Tifton, Ga. 

Escort___R. B. Hughes_Tifton, Ga. 

Watchman-J. D. Hayes_Prince Ave., Tifton, Ga. 

Sentry-1. D. Peters _316 S. Ridge Ave., Tifton, Ga. 

Chairman of Auditors.J. M. Bailey-801 Murray Ave., Tifton, Ga. 

Auditor-_W. G. Massey_no W. 8th St., Tifton, Ga. 

Auditor-_M. C. Holmes —409 N. Central Ave., Tifton, Ga. 

Dist. Field Mgr._A. L. Bowden_no W. 8th St., Tifton, Ga. 


















HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


249 


317 GEORGIA 

Financial Secretary __.M. D. Vinson_P. O. Box 29, Ty Ty, Ga. 

Banker---Nas Gibbs_R.F.D. 2, Ty Ty, Ga. 

Consul Commander __.Chas. Walker__._R.F.D. 2, Ty Ty, Ga. 

Chairman of Auditors_W. S. Gibbs_R.F.D. 2, Ty Ty,* Ga. 

Auditor-_L. B. Lyons_R.F.D. 1, Tifton,’ Ga. 

Auditor-_J. W. M. Tomberlin_R.F.D. 3, Ty Ty, Ga. 


OMEGA CAMP 1404 


Financial Secretary __.John B. Mallory___Omega, Ga. 

Camps organized in towns located in Tift County, Georgia. 


Camp 

No. 

Location 

Organized 

Charter 

Status 


144 

144 

Chula 

Tifton 

8- 1-03 

8 1-03 

3 - 1 1-04 
3 - 1 1-04 

Good standing 

4- 1-47 

317 

Ty Ty 

5- 8-08 

6- 9-08 

Good standing 

4 - 1-47 

324 

Omega 

6-24-08 

8-25-10 

Defunct 

6-21-20 

347 

Eldorado 

10-29-08 

9-16-09 

Defunct 

5-19-20 

58i 

Unionville 

6-18-12 

9 -I 7 -I 3 

Defunct 

6-30-14 

727 

Brookfield 

1-28-14 

no charter 

Defunct 

2- 9-16 

1088 

Abba 

6- 5 -i 9 

no charter 

Defunct 

4-16-20 

We 

are only able 

to furnish the 

names of 

the charter officers 

of one 

Camp, 

same being Omega, Georgia, 

No. 324: 




Consul Commander 
Adviser Lieutenant 

Banker_ 

Financial Secretary . 

Escort_ 

Watchman_ 

Sentry _ 

Manager_ 

Manager_ 

Manager_ 

Physician_ 


_Guy A. Cox 

_W. C. Woodall 
__W. M. Logan 
__W. H. Young 
__W. T. Deane 

_J. S. Johnson 

_S. S. Bass 

_S. M. Hall 

___V. L. Horne 
W. B. Woodall 
_Irwin Willis 


The present membership of Camp at Tifton is 527; Camp at Ty Ty is 
51, Camp at Omega is 31. 



















250 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


PURPOSE OF THE WOODMEN OF THE WORLD 
LIFE INSURANCE SOCIETY 

The objects of this Society shall be to combine white persons of sound 
bodily health, exemplary habits and gool moral character, under the age of 
sixty years, into a secret, fraternal beneficiary and benevolent Society; 
provide funds for their relief; comfort the sick and cheer the unfortunate 
by attentive ministrations in times of sorrow and distress; promote fra¬ 
ternal love and unity; to issue to its members, either with or without 
medical examination, benefit certificates providing for death benefits and/or 
endowments, annuities, retirement income, disability, monument, accidental 
injury and death, sickness and hospitalization benefits, and may provide 
for cash surrender and loan values, extended and paid-up insurance, and 
other withdrawal equities and non-forfeiture options. 


THE TIFTON JUNIOR WOMAN’S CLUB 

The Tifton Junior Woman’s Club was organized in April, 1940, by 
Mrs. N. Peterson, state officer of the Woman’s Federation. Members in¬ 
cluded young women residents not passed the age of 35, who in coopera¬ 
tion with Mrs. Peterson organized to foster interest among its members 
in social, economical, educational, and cultural conditions of the com¬ 
munity, and to support civic and charitable enterprises by volunteer serv¬ 
ice and other available means. 

Mrs. E. L. Rollins was the first president, and charter members in¬ 
cluded: Mrs. Johnson Goodman, Mrs. H. E. Huff, Mrs. R. E. Jones, 
Mrs. Ray Shirley, Mrs. E. L. Rollins, Mrs. Ross Pittman, Mrs. P. D. 
Fulwood, Jr., Mrs. Ido Touchstone, Jr., Mrs. C. S. Pittman, Jr., Mrs. 
J. P. Short, Mrs. George Wright, Mrs. Jack Rigdon. 


HISTORY OF TIFTON MUSIC CLUB 
by Mrs. M. D. Braswell 

In 1905 the Tifton Music Club was merely a small group of women 
whose duty was to provide all musical programs for the Twentieth Cen¬ 
tury Library Club, a club which was the oldest civic organization in Tif¬ 
ton. It soon became evident that all of Tifton’s musical talent was not 
being reached, and, as the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs was 
urging the organization of music clubs throughout the state, a committee 
was appointed to organize a separate music club and to federate as such. 
In September 1920, under the splendid leadership of Mrs. Nichols Peter¬ 
son, a call was made to all who were interested. The meeting was inspiring 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


251 


and full of enthusiasm, and Mrs. T. J. Durrett, of Cordele, Georgia, as¬ 
sisted in perfecting the plans for this new organization. The charter mem¬ 
bers were Mesdames J. J. Golden, W. B. Bennett, Julian Peeples, Nichols 
Peterson, and Miss Josie Golden. The officers selected were Mrs. J. M. 
Paulk, president; Miss Elizabeth Lawrence, vice-president; Mrs. W. B. 
Bennett, recording secretary; Miss Josie Golden, corresponding secretary; 
and Mrs. Julian Peeples, treasurer. 

The first meeting was held in October 1920, and it was decided to call 
the club Tifton Symphony Club, but at the December meeting the name 
was changed to The Tifton Music Club, with a limited membership of 
forty. During the next two years the club was quite active in the work 
with the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, and Miss Leila Julian 
(now Mrs. Allen Garden, of Fitzgerald) was chosen as the first delegate 
to go to the State Federation of Clubs at Savannah, Georgia. 

In 1922 it was decided to withdraw from the General Federation of 
Women’s Clubs and became a member of the State and National Federa¬ 
tion of Music Clubs. 

With this limited number of members, the Tifton Music Club became 
one of the strongest, most active, and interesting organizations in Tifton. 
Officers were elected annually for four years, but beginning in 1924 they 
were allowed two years in office. Meetings were held twice during the 
month and the programs presented were very outstanding in the selections 
of classics, and compositions of our own composers, whose melodies and 
arrangements will never be equalled nor surpassed. Among the presidents 
who served so efficiently were Mrs. J. M. Paulk, a musician of rare abil¬ 
ity, and who for years held the highest place in music in the Tifton Schools. 
Other presidents were, Mesdames J. J. Golden, Julian Peeples, W. L. 
Harman, John Waters, W. B. Bennett, W. A. Puckett, M. E. Hendry, 
I. C. Touchstone, John Ferguson, K. S. Trowbridge, C. W. King, B. L. 
Southwell, J. N. Mitchell, C. J. Woodard, J. J. Clyatt, Agnew Andrews, 
Frank Youmans, John Corry (formerly Miss Elizabeth Whiddon), and 
Mrs. John Turner, who now occupies the president’s chair until June 1948. 

Many efficient co-workers have served during these years and a number 
of artists of note and Glee Clubs of national fame aided in the develop¬ 
ment and interest of the club. Out of the Tifton Music Club many musi¬ 
cians, singers and leaders now occupy enviable places in the musical world. 

Among the members whose name is outstanding is Mrs. W. A. Puckett, 
a composer of note, though her quiet modesty and retiring disposition kept 
her from being known nationally. For her closest friends she often played 
many of her countless compositions, which possessed a wealth of pure un¬ 
rivalled music, ever lingering in the hearts and minds of those who had 
the rare privilege of hearing her. She was an organist for the Tifton Meth¬ 
odist Church for many years, and many people came just to hear her play, 


252 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


for she was a genius—a soul embedded in music of inexpressible charm. 

Another member of the club whose fame became national was Nell 
Howze, a most gifted vocalist. She was known in the radio world and also 
in the movies, and her most outstanding work was with Schuberts Com¬ 
pany, of New York, which brought her deserved popularity. 

Another member of whom the music club is justly proud is Mrs. J. J. 
Clyatt, formerly Miss Josie Golden, who was a charter member while a 
college student. She received her degree in piano and organ at Shorter 
College, in Rome, Ga., and her post-graduate work was with the Ameri¬ 
can Institute of Applied Music, in New York. Mrs. Clyatt held office 
of District Director of Music for six years. In 1930 she was elected presi¬ 
dent of the Georgia State Federation of Music Clubs, which place she 
held for four years. It w T as due to her untiring efforts that the Tifton 
Music Club was hostess to the Georgia State Federation of Music Clubs 
in 1930. (Mrs. M. E. Hendry, who was president of the club at this time, 
with her most efficient assistants, made this meeting one of the greatest 
events in the history of the club.) Mrs. Clyatt is a member of the National 
Board of Directors and is a director for life for the Georgia State Federa¬ 
tion of Music Clubs. Her motto is, “Today’s preparation is the basis of 
tomorrow’s progress.” 

As a member and president of the Tifton Music Club, Mrs. Agnew 
Andrews, who came to Tifton in the past few years, has been a very out¬ 
standing asset to the musical circles. She had a very successful two years as 
president. Then she accepted the work as director of music in the Tifton 
Schools, which work deserves much praise and appreciation. Each year her 
excellent programs presented have been worthy of note, for they not only 
brought music to the children, but found hidden talent in many of the chil¬ 
dren who came under her supervision. Mrs. Andrews part of the time con¬ 
tributed her services as director of Tifton High School Glee Club. 

Among the great artists of the club are the names of Hugh Hodgson, 
composer of note and director of music at the University of Georgia at 
Athens, Ga.; Minna Hecker, Professor Maerz, Macon, Ga.; Franceska 
Lawson, vocalist from New York, and Miss Irene Leftwich, well known 
pianist, and many others. The Emory University Glee Club, w T ho sang be¬ 
fore crowned heads of Europe, was guest of the club on several occasions; 
also, the University of Georgia Glee Club. 

The Tifton Music Club is not only recognized at home for its splendid 
worth and talent, but is recognized by the state for its valued leaders and 
outstanding musical programs given during the years past. 

Cooperation and music of high quality has always been the club’s goal. 
“Music, ’Tis the cradle of God’s love.” 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


253 


TWENTIETH CENTURY LIBRARY CLUB 
by Mrs. N. Peterson 

From its pinnacle of forty-two years of public service the Twentieth 
Century Library Club has every reason to look back on its progress with 
joy and satisfaction. 

On February 3, 1905 nine women responded to the call made by Mrs. 
N. Peterson to meet at the home of Mrs. E. H. Tift (now Frank Corry 
home) on Love Avenue for the purpose of organizing a club that would 
be interested in promoting a public library for Tifton as well as self cul¬ 
ture. These women were Mesdames W. O. Tift, J. A. Peterson, H. S. 
Murray, I. L. Ford, R. W. Goodman, E. H. Tift, W. S. Walker, Mrs. 
N. Peterson and Miss Mary Carlton (Mrs. R. D. Smith). They con¬ 
stituted the charter members of the club. Mrs. W. O. Tift w*as elected 
the first president; Mrs. N. Peterson, secretary-treasurer. The dues were 
$1.00 per year. 

The fact that the membership was limited to twenty-five was due to 
meeting in the homes, but the growing interest in the library and the need 
for a larger membership forced us to seek larger quarters at the end of the 
first year. 

Our first move was to the Bowen building corner of Love Avenue anl 
Second Street. We moved next to the Tift building where Capt. Tift had 
donated four large rooms upstairs. After Wade-Corry rented the building 
they needed more storage space so we moved down on Main Street over 
Roberts Dry Goods store where we remained until we had sufficient funds 
to buy the J. J. L. Phillips home on the corner of Central Avenue and 
Twelfth Street. This building we remodeled into one of the most beautiful 
club houses in the state. When it was completed and furnished we had 
spent about $15,000.00, but felt amply repaid for we not only had ample 
space for the library, lovely club rooms, but also a splendid auditorium to 
be used by the public for all kinds of public functions. It is rented to the 
Catholics each Sunday morning for eight o’clock mass. The Karn Kinder¬ 
garten is also taught there. 

The club hose is free of debt and the club members are enjoying their 
first freedom after twenty-five years moving from one building to another. 

The City and County have contributed to the upkeep of the library for 
the past several years, giving the women more time for other duties. Be¬ 
ing just a little older than the County, the Woman’s Club has been a vital 
factor in promoting, from the creation of the county, every movement for 
both the city’s and county’s advancement, especially in matters pertaining 
to civics, health, and education. 

Although we could not vote for about fifteen years, we were active in 
seeing that those who could do so went to the polls and voted for 


254 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


local tax, bonds, and any other matters necessary to put Tifton and Tift 
County to the front with their fine school system. This program was par¬ 
ticularly true concerning Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College from 
the time it began as the old Eleventh District Agricultural and Mechanical 
School. 

We rendered valiant service to this struggling institution for a period 
of years. We paid every expense, even to graduating flowers, for a Tift 
County girl who could not have gone to school without this assistance. 
Later she was able to assume the support of her wddowed mother and 
several brothers and sisters. Small gifts and loans were made to other 
boys and girls needing help for their education. 

When Mr. J. L. Herring died the club women raised $500.00 for a 
scholarship fund to be used by the A. & M. School for boys or girls whom 
the faculty thought worthy. 

We were unwise in turning the entire sum over to the school without 
better guarantee, as poor management resulted in the fund doing but little 
good. We blame the terrible depression more than any thing else for its 
loss. 

The work that really put the club women in the eye of the public was 
with the rural schools of the county. “Adopting a Rural School” became 
their slogan. So unique in plan and execution was this program that Tift 
County gained state and national fame for rural work. The work was 
featured in the November, 1915 issue of McCalls Magazine, Woman’s 
World, and many state papers. Franklin K. Lane, when Secretary of the 
Interior, asked that 5,000 copies of plan be put in the department for rural 
education. We know that had it not been for the timely assistance of the 
club women in helping to mold public opinion our consolidated schools 
would not have existed as early as they did. 

Being the first and only civic club in Tifton, we are proud to be the 
mother of the Tifton Music Club, the Parent-Teacher Association, the 
Junior Woman’s Club, and Garden Club, which functioned at first as 
Tifton’s Better Homes and Gardens. Later both the music and garden 
clubs withdrew from the mother club and went into their own state federa¬ 
tions. 

All of the federated clubs in South Georgia give the club women of 
Tifton a vote of thanks for starting the movement for organized club work 
by inviting the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs to meet in Tifton 
in the fall of 1907. There were only two federated clubs south of Macon 
until that time. 

The Club is now functioning under the following committees: Fine 
Arts, Conservation of Natural Resources, Education, Citizenship, Public 
Welfare, and International Relations, American Home. 

No club women anywhere rendered greater War Service in every de- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


255 


partment than the women of Tifton. 

The following have served as presidents: 

*Mrs. W. O. Tift—1905- 1906 
*Mrs. H. H. Tift—1906-1937 
Mrs. J. C. Parker—Feb. 1937-May 1937 (unexpired term) 
Mrs. N. Peterson—1937-1939 
Mrs. J. J. Clyatt—1939-1941 
Mrs. G. O. Wheless—1941-1944 
Mrs. J. J. Clyatt—1944-1945 
'Mrs. W. H. Underwood—1945-1947 
Mrs. I. C. Touchstone, Sr.—1947— 

The club has furnished the following State Federation Officers: 


Corresponding Secretary—Mrs. G. O. Wheless_1944-1946 

State Treasurer—Mrs. G. O. Wheless_1946- 


Director for Life, Georgia Federation Women’s Clubs—Mrs. N. Peterson 

—*Mrs. H. H. Tift 

The club has had a unique history in that it had the same president for 
thirty-one years. It was due to her wonderful executive ability, and lovely, 
sweet, Christian character that Mrs. H. H. Tift was able to hold the love 
and respect of the women so long. 


ROTARY CLUB OF TIFTON 

The Rotary Club of Tifton received its chapter April 9, 1937. The club 
began with the following twenty-six charter members: E. P. Bowen, Jr., 
J. L. Bowen, L. E. Bowen, J. L. Brooks, C. R. Choate, Cecil Clark, J. J. 
Clyatt, Frank H. Corry, W. Bruce Donaldson, Jr., Geo. P. Donaldson, 
P. D. Fulwood, James A. Harvey, John G. Herring, E. U. Holder, 
Joseph Kent, S. B. Lassiter, J. C. McNeese, I. W. Myers, Carl S. Pitt¬ 
man, Ralph Puckett, Albert Rowe, R. D. Smith, J. S. Taylor, Wheeler 
Willis, S. H. Starr, A. E. Danielson. 

Officers for the year 1937-38: S. B. Lassiter, president; L. E. Bowen, 
vice-president; W. Bruce Donaldson, Jr., secretary and treasurer; Ralph 
Puckett, sergeant-at-arms. 

The club organization was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Macon, 
Georgia, with the assistance of L. E. Bowen, Sr., of Tifton. This club 
has the distinction of being the only one ever organized over a telephone. 
Mr. Bowen selected a list of twenty-six business men, contacted each one 
by telephone and enlisted them as members. This procedure was conclusive 
evidence of the reputation of Rotary and of the desirability of membership. 


^Deceased. 





256 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


The Tifton Club has been always interested in the community and has 
rendered effective service in all community projects. 

At the end of ten years the Tifton Club still has twenty-one active 
members of the original charter members. Three charter members are 
dead. I. W. Myers, J. G Herring, and S. H. Starr; two have moved 
from Tifton: James Harvey and Cecil Clark. 

I937 _i 938 S. B. Lassiter, President; W. Bruce Donaldson, Jr., Secre¬ 
tary and Treasurer. 

1938- 1939 L. E. Bowen, President; W. Bruce Donaldson, Jr., Secre¬ 
tary and Treasurer. 

1939- 1940 Rev. F. O. Mixon, President; W. Bruce Donaldson, Jr., Sec¬ 
retary and Treasurer. 

1940- 1941 J. S. Taylor, President; W. Bruce Donaldson, Jr., Secretary 
and Treasurer 

1941- 1942 J. L. Bowen, President; W. Bruce Donaldson, Jr., Secretary 
and Treasurer. 

1942- 1943 C. C. Perry, President; W. G. Windham, Secretary and 
Treasurer. 

1943- 1944 Dr. W. T. Smith, President; Henry D. Collier, Secretary and 
Treasurer. 

1944- 1945 Ralph Puckett, President; Henry D. Collier, Secretary and 
Treasurer. 

1945- 1946 Geo. P. Donaldson, President; Henry D. Collier, Secretary 
and Treasurer. 

1946- 1947 W. Bruce Donaldson, Jr., President; Henry D. Collier, Sec¬ 
retary and Treasurer. 

1947- 1948 Rev. D. M. Sanders, President; Henry D. Collins, Secretary 
and Treasurer. 


BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE FOUNDING AND HISTORY OF 
TIFT COUNTY POST NUMBER 21 
THE AMERICAN LEGION 
by Major Steve Mitchell 

Tift County, Georgia,' since its creation by Act of the Georgia General 
Assembly August 17, 1905, has progressively grown, as well as its towns 
and City of Tifton, and City of Omega, and many civic and welfare 
groups have largely contributed to its astounding growth, and perhaps no 
one of them has contributed more to such progressive growth and civic 
pride than Tift County Post Number 21, and its Legion Auxiliary, since 
its founding about September 1, 1919. 

Immediately after Congressional founding of The American Legion, 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


257 


and "I he Department of Georgia, and at a time when most of the World 
War I veterans had returned to their homes, as few as fifteen honorably 
discharged veterans could petition for a charter. Following named vet¬ 
erans appeared as charter members, namely: M. Earl Phillips, Steve F. 
Mitchell, Roy Thrasher, N. Russell Overstreet, J. Albert Pope, Harry 
Kulbersh, Robert S. Herring, Benjamin K. Hardison, J. Ferrell Jolley, 
Reid Corry, Jeff Parker, Dr. Willie H. Hendricks, H. G. Short, J. G. 
Whigham, C. A. Harrell, Charles Y. Workman, Dr. Wm. T. Smith, 
Osmont V. Barkuloo, S. T. Kidder, Jr., W. B Bennet, Ethridge Gay, 
Gerald N. Herring, Henry C. Overstreet, Francis N. Goggins, Roy E. 
Lytle, Cornelius R. Ryder, S. F. Overstreet, Jr., M. C. Owen, Alfred 
J. Goggins and W. L. Royal. The post by its number was the 2ist post to 
be established in Georgia, meeting at Chamber of Commerce rooms, until 
later establishing its meeting room in Hall Building, which later became 
Woodman Hall, until its commodious home was erected on Moore high¬ 
way, near home of Mr. P. D. Fulwood. Steve F. Mitchell was elected 
first Commander of the Post and Roy Thrasher, as Adjutant on 9 Sept. 
1919^ and later upon legal authority the post was properly chartered by 
order of Tift County Superior Court. Space forbids the naming of the 
many able Commanders and Adjutants to follow, though it must be men¬ 
tioned that it was during the very able leadership of Post Commander M. 
L. Webb, and his staff that the present Legion Home was erected in 1937. 

Only a few months after its founding, the Post felt the need of an 
Auxiliary, and by no mean efforts has contributed more to its growth and 
respect, charter members being: Mrs. W. H. Hendricks, Miss Margaret 
Hendricks, Miss Louise Hendricks, Mrs. W. B. Bennet, Miss Clara Bell 
Duff, Miss Carrie Fulwood, Mrs. Emerson Mitchell, Mrs. J. C. Har¬ 
graves, Mrs. D. D. Dixon, Mrs. W. Roy Lytle, Mrs. A. J. Whitehurst, 
Mrs. J. C. Algee, Mrs. Robert Herring, Mrs. Wm. T. Smith, Mrs. Harry 
Kulbersh. Miss Louise Algee, Mrs. John S. Waters, Mrs. G. N. Her¬ 
ring, Mrs. J. L. Herring, Miss Billie Hendricks, Mrs. Frank NeSmith, 
Mrs. Steve F. Mitchell, Mrs. T. A. Mitchell, Mrs. D. D. McCaskill, 
Mrs. J. P. Short II, Mrs. M. C. Owen, Mrs. Frank Goggins, Mrs. Jack 
Barkuloo, Mrs. Hattie Gibbs and Miss Leila Hargrett, and the Auxiliary 
has had a fine record, as proved by one of its members later becoming 
State President, namely, Mrs. D. D. Dixon, after she had moved to 
Thomasville. Ga. 

Forever faithful to the principles set forth in its preamble,—“For God 
and Country,” etc., the Post and its auxiliary have worked as a team, and its 
leavening influence has always been felt in any worthy move for the bet¬ 
terment of the Veterans position, and certainly for Tift County, and Geor¬ 
gia. Its home has become a meeting ground for most every worthy cause, 
and for recreation for both Youth and Age, and now. as in the words of 


258 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Col. John McCrea in his beautiful poem, “Flanders Field” we are ready 
to, and have already drawn to our membership, World War Veterans II 
from Saipan to Remergen, and to them and their Auxiliary we throw the 
torch of the Four Freedoms. 


CHAPTER XX 

WHO’S WHO IN TIFT COUNTY 

There are many Tift County people who deserve a place in the Who’s 
Who of the county, but we could include only a few. The following names 
were selected by popular vote and two committees of Tifton citizens: 

S’. J. Akers 
L. S. Alfriend 

G. O. Bailey, Jr. (See Education chapter for sketch) 

L. E. Bowen, Sr. 

Elias Branch (See Pioneer chapter) 

W. P. Bryan 

Annie Bell Clark (See Education chapter) 

Ethel Clements 

Josie Clyatt (Mrs. Jim Clyatt) 

Nathan Coarsey 

Peggy Herring Coleman 

George P. Donaldson 

Judge R. Eve (See Pioneer chapter) 

Paul Dearing Fulwood Sr. (See Agriculture chapter) 

Ruth Vickers Fulwood (Mrs. P. D. Fulwood, Sr.) (See Agriculture 
chapter) 

Mrs. J. J. Golden 

Leola Judson Greene (See Pioneer chapter) 

Mrs. W. S. Harman 

Dr. W. H. Hendricks (See Pioneer chapter) 

Joseph Kent 
George Harris King 
Harry Kulbresh 

Arthur Moore (See Small-Town chapter) 

Susie T. Moore (See Pioneer chapter) 

R. C. Patrick (Sketch unavailable) 

Mrs. John A. Peterson, Sr. 

Mrs. Nicholas Peterson (See Education chapter) 

T. E. Phillips, Sr. (See Pioneer chapter) 

Dr. Franklin Pickett 
Mrs. J. W. Poole 
D. C. Rainey 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


259 


Mrs. W. T. Smith 

M rs. Dan Sutton (See Education chapter) 

John Y. Sutton 

Amos Tift (See Pioneer chapter) 

E. L. Webb 

Ida Belle Williams (See Education chapter) 

J. L. Williams (See chapter Wire Grass Journalism). 


LINTON STEPHENS ALFRIEND, JR. 

Linton Stephens Alfriend, Jr., son of Linton Stephens and Nancy Gil¬ 
bert Alfriend. was born on March 2, 1881, in Albany, Georgia. He at¬ 
tended school in Albany and in 1889 during vacation began work with the 
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. In 1901 he came to Tifton to work with 
the railroad; later he worked in other places, but returned to Tifton in 
1911 as freight agent, in which capacity he has served efficiently and faith¬ 
fully. When offered a promotion to Jacksonville, he said, “Ed rather be a 
policeman in Tifton than mayor of Jacksonville.” 

He is a member of the Tifton Baptist Church, has served on Board of 
Directors of Atlantic Coast Line Y.M.C.A. fifteen years, on Board of 
Directors of Tifton Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the Tif¬ 
ton Rotary Club. 

He married Josephine Meara. Their children are Rosalie (Mrs. R. B. 
Bevan) and Nannette (Mrs. R. L. Hargrett). His second wife was 
Mabel Day Meara. 

During the flood of 1925 when transportation was difficult, Alfriend 
rendered valuable service by borrowing extra locomotives from Wavcross 
and by putting nineteen hundred sacks of rock on the Alapaha River bridge. 

He is a direct descendant of Pocahontas, His ancestor, Dr. Shadrach 
Alfriend, married Elizabeth Woodlief, seventh in line from Pocahontas. 


SAMUEL JASPER AKERS 

Samuel Jasper Akers was born in Carroll County, Georgia, on February 
24, 1886. His father and his grandfather were Baptist preachers and he 
was ordained to the full work of the ministry in February of 1920 by the 
Terrell Missionary Baptist Church. During the past twenty-seven years 
he has served as pastor of thirteen Baptist churches in Georgia and Florida. 

On April 21, 1907, he married Miss Dora Elizabeth Bradley of Bre¬ 
men, Georgia. They have five children, four sons and one daughter. 

For fifteen years he taught school, mostly in Turner County, Georgia. 

He moved to Tift County in 1931, and he has been serving as pastor of 




260 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


the Eldorado Baptist Church since 1929. He is at present engaged in full¬ 
time pastoral work. He is also editor of the Baptist Anchor, a paper devot¬ 
ed to the interests of Baptist churches in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. 


LENNON ELIAS BOWEN 

Lennon Elias Bowen, Sr., son of Enoch and Elizabeth Turner Bowen, 
was born and reared in Tifton. Young Bowen graduated from the Tifton 
High School in 1907, and received his A.B. degree from Mercer Univer¬ 
sity in 1912. For several years he was his father’s associate in the automobile 
business. 

Mr. Bowen was Tift County representative in Georgia Legislature in 
1919-1922. He was a member of the Tifton City Council and later of 
the city commission, 1916-1920. He was president of the Rotary Club and 
of the Chamber of Commerce. During his service of fifteen years on the 
Tifton Board of Education Mr. Bowen fostered the progress of the schools. 

He is president of the Bank of Tifton, secretary-treasurer and general 
manager of Tifton Cotton Mills, president of Georgia Baptist Founda¬ 
tion, president of Baptist Men’s Bible Class, president of Boy Scouts of 
America, and a member of the Tifton Recreation Board. He is a Mason, 
Knight Templar, a Shriner, and a member of the Tifton Baptist Church. 

He married Margaret Austin Bailey. They have two sons, Calhoun 
and Lennon, Jr. 


WILLIAM PERDUE BRYAN 

William Perdue Bryan, son of William Robert and Salina Sanders 
Bryan, was born in Pike County, Alabama on August 3, 1892. William 
Perdue attended schools in Pike before coming with his parents in 1909 
to Tift County; here he studied at the A. and M. School. 

When twenty-one, Mr. Bryan went to Calhoun County, Georgia, as 
manager of some farms. In 1915 he married Elizabeth Mansfield. Their 
children are Grace and William. Mr. Bryan returned to Tift County in 
1918 and settled on Fair View Farm. In 1928 he was one of the youngest 
persons in the United States to receive the honor of being selected Master 
Farmer. The University of Georgia presented him a certificate of merit; 
the Progressive Farmer, a medal. 

He is a member of and elder in the Presbyterian Church. 

In 1934 Mr. Bryan was appointed supervisor for the Farm Security 
Administration project in Irwin County, later changed to Farmers’ Home 
Administration. He is the only person in the United States to supervise 
one of these projects continuously until completion. Mr. Bryan is still 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


261 


with this project, one of the biggest of its kind in Georgia, and his work 
has high government rating. 

Mr. Bryan helped to organize the Sowega Melon Growers at Adel and 
Irwinville Cooperative Association. 


ETHEL CLEMENTS 

Ethel Clements, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. E. Clements, was born 
on a farm at Brighton, Tift County, July 25, 1911. When three months 
old she had polio, which seemed to leave her a hopeless cripple. Finally, 
however, she learned to walk on her knees and for thirty-five years could 
not change her mode of walking. 

Her family taught her for a while at home and she attended Harding 
School as many days as possible until she finished grammar school. With 
a brilliant mind, however, she educated herself beyond the seventh grade. 
Her versatility is attested by her drawing, painting, cooking, understand¬ 
ing poety, and reading in public. She organized a class in speech and read 
at secular and religious meetings. 

Ethel has believed always in being self-supporting. At one time she 
owned a herd of cows. She stood on her knees, spaded the ground, and 
planted flowers to sell. For the past few years she has earned money by 
designing and making a distinctive type of doll, which she has sold in all 
parts of the country. These dolls attracted the attention of the counselor 
of Vocation Rehabilitation to her. He arranged for her to see an ortho¬ 
pedic surgeon and enter a hospital. After an operation she now can walk 
with the help of braces and a cane. 

Her indomitable courage has directed her progress despite handicaps. 
From every standpoint Ethel is an excellent citizen. 


MRS. JOSEPH JAMES CLYATT 

Mrs. Joseph James Clyatt (Miss Josie Golden) daughter of Joseph 
Jackson Golden and Mary McLeod Golden, was born October 1, 1898. 
Josie Golden married Joseph James Clyatt, June 30, 1925. They have 
one daughter, Betty Jean Clyatt. 

Miss Golden graduated at the Tifton High School and received her 
B.M. in organ and piano at Shorter College in 1919. She had special work 
in organ at Institute of Applied Music and Wurlitzer Organ Company, 
New York City. 

Mrs. Clyatt was president of Georgia Federation of Music Clubs 1930- 
1934; honorary first vice-president and director for life, Georgia Federa- 




262 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


tion of Music Clubs; director of National Federation of Music Clubs, 
I 933"I937; trustee Shorter College, 1939-1941 ; president of Shorter Col¬ 
lege Alumnae Association; president of Tifton Music Club, I937 _I 939; 
president Twentieth Century Library Club, 1939-1941 and 1944-1945; 
state chairman of music, Georgia Federation of Women’s clubs, 1940- 
1942, second vice-president, Second District Federation of Women’s Clubs. 

Her biography is in “Who’s Who in the South and Southwest” and 
“American Women.” 

She was sponsor for the Junior Woman’s Club 1940-1942 and will be 
sponsor through 1947. 

M rs. Clyatt has been organist for years at the Tifton Baptist Church, 
where she is a member. 


NATHAN COARSEY 

Nathan Coarsey, son of W. H. Coarsey and Ardelia M. Turner Coar- 
sey, was born on June 13, 1888, one mile from Brookfield and lived in 
this town all his life. Mr. Nathan Coarsey married the first time Mary 
Vicey Cox; their three children are N. L. Jr., Jack and Wiley, all now 
of Brookfield. Their daughter, Myrtle, died in 1915. 

In 1919 Mr. Coarsey married Nora Lee Partin, of Berrien County; 
their children are Raleigh, Grace, Audrey, Austin, Dorothy, Mrs. J. T. 
Tyson, and Mrs. Marvin Goodman; the last two are from Brookfield. 

Mr. Coarsey served as member of the Board of Commissioners of Roads 
and Revenue for Tift County from 1923 to 1943. He was elected chair¬ 
man of the county commissioners in August 1927, and served until 1943, 
with the exception of two years. During these years of his service Mr. Coar¬ 
sey established a good record. According to the Tifton Gazette, he was 
noted for the standard of roads, bridges, public works of the county, 
and the many improvements to county property. During his administration 
the County Hospital was erected, and the Tifton airbase and the Tift 
County curb market established. 


PEGGY HERRING COLEMAN 

Peggy Herring Coleman, daughter of Editor John Lewis Herring and 
Martha Susan Greene Herring, was born in Tifton, Georgia, April 30, 
1910. She was third honor graduate in class of 1927 at Tifton High 
School. Peggy won Second District ready writers medal and Lincoln Me¬ 
morial national essay medal. She graduated from the business department 
of Georgia State College for Men in Tifton. Peggy was president of the 
N.L.N., a high school club, for three years. 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


263 


In 1927 she began work with the Tifton Gazette She is associate editor, 
sports editor, feature editor, roving reporter, and columnist for “Romain’ 
Round for the Gazette. Peggy is a member of American Legion Auxiliary, 
Woman s Club, Charter member of Pilot Club, and a member of First 
Methodist Church. She was state publicity director of Georgia Department 
American Auxiliary, publicity director of American Red Cross, reporter 
for Lions and Kiwanis Clubs, district air-raid warden for Civilian Defense 
during the late war and secretary-treasurer of Tift County Farm Bureau 
for four years. 

Peggy is correspondent for United Press Association, Associated Press, 
Atlanta Constitution, and the Macon Telegraph. She has written spark¬ 
ling feature stories for these papers and for the Atlanta Journal Magazine. 

On October 31, 1936 Peggy married Amiel Walsey Coleman. 


GEORGE PETER DONALDSON 

George Peter Donaldson, son of Leona Mercer and Robert Franklin 
Donaldson, was born on October 21, 1893 in Statesboro, Georgia. He 
graduated from Statesboro High School, Gordon Military College, the 
University of Georgia with a B.S. degree in 1916, and from Ohio State 
University with a M.S. degree in 1933. 

In 1918 he married Holly Twitty, of Pelham, Georgia. They have two 
sons, Major George B. Donaldson, Jr., veteran of Pacific campaign of 
World War II, and William Twitty, veteran of United States Navy of 
World War II. 

While in Statesboro, Mr. Donaldson was a member of the Cowart- 
Donaldson firm, deacon in the Baptist Church, secretary-treasurer, and 
president of the Chamber of Commerce. He served two terms as repre¬ 
sentative from Bulloch County in the Georgia Legislature. 

A veteran teacher, Donaldson has taught in several Georgia high schools, 
at the Georgia Military College, South Georgia Teachers’ College, and 
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. 

Since his first connection with Abraham Baldwin College in 1933 
Donaldson has fostered the interest of 4-H clubs, Future Farmers of 
America and Future Home Makers of America. He is probably the only 
person in the United States whom all three groups have honored with life 
membership. 

He is a member of the Tifton Baptist Church, Tift County Chamber 
of Commerce, and member and former president of Tifton Rotary Club. 

For several years Mr. Donaldson has been dean at Abraham Baldwin, 
but this year he accepted the position of president. 



264 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


MRS. JOSEPH JACKSON GOLDEN 

Mrs. Joseph Jackson Golden (Mary McLeod), daughter of Daniel 
Washington Golden and Katherine Parker McLeod, was born in North 
Carolina, but in early childhood moved to Sumner, Georgia. On January 
i, 1896, Mary McLeod moved to Tifton, and on August 11, 1897 mar¬ 
ried Joseph Jackson Golden. They have one daughter, Josie Golden Clyatt. 

Mrs. Golden was chairman of the fine arts committee of Twentieth 
Century Library Club from 1916 to 1947, director of choir of Tifton 
First Baptist Church from 1920 to 1946, president of the Music Club 
from 1921 to 1922. She is a charter member of the Tifton Music Club 
and a member of the Tifton Baptist Church. 


HARRIET GOODMAN HARMAN 

Harriet Goodman Harman, musician and church woman, daughter of 
Dr. Charles Goodman and Henrietta Ann Goodman, was born in Somer- 
ton, Nansemond County, Virginia, February 5, 1875. The Goodmans 
moved in 1890 to Tifton. After her public school work, Miss Goodman 
entered Wesleyan College, Macon, Georgia, where she studied piano, voice, 
and literary subjects. After leaving Wesleyan, she taught music in the 
Tifton schools. 

In 1901 she married George S. Evans. To this union was born a daugh¬ 
ter, Harriet Goodman Evans. After Mr. Evans’ death Mrs. Evans re¬ 
turned to Tifton, and in 1908 married Willard Inther Harman. To this 
marriage was born three sons, Charles, Eugene, and Allen. The first two 
are dead. 

Mrs. Harman since childhood has served her church, the Methodist. 
She has been assistant director of and soloist in the choir, organist and 
teacher in Sunday School, and president of Missionary society. 

Mrs. Harman has held offices in the Twentieth Century Library Club, 
of which she is a charter member. She is a member of the Tifton Music 
Club, the U.D.C., the W.C.T.U., and the Tifton Wesleyan Club. 


JOSEPH KENT, SR. 

Joseph Kent, Sr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Kent, was born March 
3, 1881, at Staffordshire, England. 

At the age of thirteen months he, with his parents, sailed for America 
and later landed in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, where he spent his boy¬ 
hood. 

When fourteen years old Kent came with his parents to a farm three 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


265 


miles from Tifton. Four years later he and his father began the warehouse 
business. Afterwards this father and son operated a furniture store for 
twenty-five years. 

After retiring from the furniture business, Mr Kent successfully de¬ 
voted much of his time to civic affairs in Tifton. He was president of the 
Board of Trade for two consecutive years and postmaster from 1929 to 
I 935* While postmaster he sold shares and formed the Tifton Building 
and Loan Association. It later changed to the Tifton Federal Savings and 
Loan Association, of which Kent is secretary and treasurer. He helped 
organize and became president of the Farmer’s Bank of Tifton. 

Mr. Joseph Kent, Sr., married Ellsberry White Dana. They have five 
children: Alice Elizabeth Kent Hodges, Joseph Kent, Jr., Edward Dana 
Kent, Ellsberry White Kent, and Doris Mae Kent Blanton. 

Probably his greatest contribution to his country was his untiring efforts 
and accomplishments as chairman of the Bond Drive in Tift County and 
in the entire Second District. 


GEORGE HARRIS KING 

George Harris King, son of William Peter King and Mary Harris 
King, was born on November 14, 1900, in West Plains, Missouri. He 
graduated from Griffin High School in 1916, received his B.S.A. at the 
University of Georgia in 1924 and his M.S. at the University of Georgia 
in 1932, and did graduate work at Cornell University in 1932-1933. 

Mr. King taught in Marion County at Brantley School, in the agricul¬ 
ture department in Barrow Count)', was master-teacher of vocational 
agriculture in 1929, and was teacher trainer in College of Agriculture, Uni¬ 
versity of Georgia. He was professor of farm management and dean of 
instruction at Abraham Baldwin College in 1933-1934 and president of 
Baldwin College in 1934-1947. He retired in 1947 to devote all his time 
to the Georgia Coastal Experiment Station, where he has been director 
since 1942. 

In 1923 Mr. King married Marguerite Benson ; they have two daugh¬ 
ters, Betty E. and Margaret. Dorothy died several years ago. 

Mr. King is a member of the Lions Club, Masons, and Tifton Meth¬ 
odist Church. 


HARRY KULBERSH 

Harry Kulbersh was born in Poland in 1889. When a young, inexperi¬ 
enced lad of sixteen years, he traveled to the United States to make his 




266 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


home. In September, 1908 Mr. Kulbersh left Atlanta to live in Tifton 
and to start his present dry goods business on a “shoe-string.” 

Mr. Kulbersh is definitely a self-made man: his educational advantages 
were few, and his struggle for success, long and difficult. 

During World War I “Mr. Harry,” as the most of Tift Countians 
call him, served in the United States Army. After returning from overseas, 
he married in 1920 Irene Jolton of New York City. Both Kulbersh and 
his wife have contributed to everythnig that would better Tift County. 

Mr. Kulbersh is charitable; during his life in Tifton he has never re¬ 
fused financial or other material donations to a social, civic, or religious 
cause. His interest in all affairs of Tifton is vital. He is a member of the 
Chamber of Commerce, the Masons, the Fitzgerald Hebrew Congrega¬ 
tion, and a charter member of the American Legion. 

During World War II “Mr. Harry” did his part on the home front, 
buying war bonds, supporting drives, and contributing to Red Cross and 

u.s.o. 

The small business which he began in 1908 has grown like a sturdy 
oak from a little acorn, and is now the oldest drygoods store in Tifton. 


MABEL HAULBROOK PETERSON 

In the plantation home at Homer, Georgia, near Athens, Mabel Haul- 
brook Peterson, daughter of William Coleman and Susanna Mason Haul- 
brook, was born. When six years old Mabel moved to Calhoun and at¬ 
tended the public school, later, graduating from the high school. She then 
attended the Woman’s College at Athens. 

In 1901 the family moved to South Georgia and for a year and a half 
she taught in the Tifton County Schools. A year later she married Dr. 
John A. Peterson, prominent dentist of this county. To this union were 
born three children, two of whom died in infancy. John Haulbrook, the 
oldest son, is one of the best dentists in this section. 

Mrs. Peterson is a charter member and an honorary life member of 
the Woman’s Club of Tifton, a member of the Methodist Church and 
Bible teacher in a circle of WSCS. She has been superintendent of juniors 
in Church School, efficient counselor of young people of the Epworth 
League, and Sunday School teacher of college girls. 

In her home she gave spiritual and mental training to other children, 
besides her own, who have gone out to bless the world. 


FRANKLIN BROWN PICKETT 

Dr. Franklin Brown Pickett, son of Jeptha B. Pickett, Sr., and Kath¬ 
ryn Raines Pickett, was born in Webster County. In high school he re- 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


267 


ceived special instruction to enter the medical department of the University 
of Georgia at Augusta, Georgia. After receiving his degree in 1897, he 
went to Ty Ty to practice medicine. Dr. Pickett later did post-graduate 
work at the Polyclinic, New York City. 

Dr. Pickett came from a family of physicians, whose combined service 
extended over a period of one hundred-fifty years in Worth and Tift 
Counties. He helped to establish a progressive school system in Ty Ty and 
Tift County, serving as chairman of the local and county Board of Educa¬ 
tion during a long period, and served as mayor of Ty Ty for many years. 

He volunteered for services in World War I and later received a cap¬ 
tain’s commission. Dr. Pickett was chairman of the local Selective Draft 
Board during World War II, and received a congressional medal. 

Dr. Pickett married Miss Martha Williams, daughter of W. E. and 
Kathryn Gibbs Williams. The Pickett children are Theodore Franklin, 
Mary Kathleen, and Frankie Evelyn. 

After many years of heavy service Dr. Pickett is still active. 


MRS. J. W. POOLE 

Mrs. J. W. Poole (Carrie Ayers) daughter of Sam and Emily Den- 
nard Ayres, married J. W. Poole on June 11, 1878, and they moved to a 
place in Berrien County (now in Tift) fifty-two years ago. Their children 
are Mrs. Nan Musselwhite, Mrs. W. W. Reynolds, Mrs. J. C. Smith, 
Mrs. Fred Cody, Miss Ellie Poole, and Ralph Poole, who served in the 
World Wars I and II. Her two grandsons and one great-grandson fought 
in the last war. 

This star mother and grandmother has two affectionate titles, conferred 
by her admirers: “Granny Poole” and “Sweetheart of the American Le¬ 
gion of Tift County Post Number 211.” Each year she leads in selling 
poppies. Besides her contribution to patriotic and religious organizations, 
she helps the underprivileged, white and colored. 

She has been a member of the Tifton Baptist Church for fifty-two years. 


DAVID CROCKETT RAINEY 

David Crockett Rainey was born at Amboy, Turner County, Georgia 
on August 22, 1884, the son of Daniel L. and Mary Evelyn Rainey. His 
early years were spent on the farm. In 1903 he attended Georgia Normal 
School at Abbeville, Georgia. 

In 1910 he answered the call to the gospel ministry and was liberated 
and ordained by the Rebecca Baptist Church. In the fall of 1910 he en¬ 
tered Norman Institute at Norman Park, where he was active in the de- 




268 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


bating societies, and made all the athletic teams, playing right end on 
the football team, guard on the basketball team and left field on the 
baseball team. 

In the spring of 1911 he became pastor of Bessie Tift Chapel, in Tifton, 
Georgia. Since that time he has served the following churches in the Mell 
Association: Zion Hope, Ty Ty, Mt. Zion, Eldorado, Lake View, Lenox, 
Pine Grove, Omega, Brookfield, and Brushy Creek, and Pine Forest 
Church in the Mallory Association. He was active in the building of the 
Chula Church and served there as pastor. At the present he is serving 
Zion Hope, Mount Olive, in the Ben Hill Association, and Antioch, in 
Colquitt Association. 

In 1913 he married Miss Cammie Starling and to this union was born 
five children: David Carl, Henry Grady, Mary Claire, Myrtle Grace 
(deceased) and Donald Dinsmore Rainey. 

In 1930 he became probation officer and Welfare Worker for Tift 
County. During these years he has married over five hundred couples, and 
conducted a large number of funerals. 


MRS. W. T. SMITH 

Maud Burns Smith, the daughter of a prominent farmer and livestock 
dealer, was born in Columbia, Tennessee. She attended Belmont College 
at Nashville, Tennessee, and after graduating came to Tift County to 
teach. Here she met and married Dr. Smith, a beloved Tifton physician, 
who later became an oculist. 

She early became an ardent worker and teacher in the Tifton Methodist 
Church, and was an influential member in the Tifton school system. Mrs. 
Smith served one time on the city board of education and was very active 
in various social and educational circles. 

She has received recognition for her outstanding work in the Twentieth 
Century Library Club, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Tift County 
Medical Auxiliary, and the Tifton Garden Club. 

Her children are: Mrs. Ed Killian, of Anniston, Alabama; Mrs. David 
B. Howard, of Atlanta, and Dr. William T. Smith, Jr., of Tifton. 


JOHN YOUNG SUTTON 
(by Murl Rountree) 

John Young Sutton, son of Jacob Young Sutton and Elizabeth Welch 
Turner Sutton, was born February 14, 1862, in Dooly County. His father 
died during the War Between the States, and his mother, later. He received 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


269 


his schooling by a lightwood fire in the kitchen. Later, Sutton wore a three- 
dollar suit, a dollar pair of boots, and a fifty-cent hat upon leaving his 
guardian. During the next few years he worked for sixty or seventy dol¬ 
lars a year. 

In 1884 he married Martha A. Smith, of Irwin County. Only two of 
their nine children are living: Mrs. Ida Daniels and Mrs. Nancy Eliza¬ 
beth Ingram. He has four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. 

In 1893 he moved to a farm, six miles from Tifton, where he still lives. 
Four years later, his wife died. In 1901 he married Margie Johnson, of 
Stewart County. They have no children. He is a member of the Ty Ty 
Baptist Church and is probably the first Baptist in Georgia to declare a 
belief in open communion. 

He is still a loyal Tift Countian who can attribute his longevity to his 
livirlg by the Book of Books. 


ELIAS WEBB 

Elias Webb, son of the Reverend W. W. Webb, was born and reared 
on a farm near Tifton. He attended the Tifton High School and Georgia- 
Alabama College. Elias helped his father with farm work before going to 
business college. 

Mr. Webb is a member and director of the Rotary Club, a member of 
the Baptist Church and Baptist Training Union, He has taught a class 
of boys at the Baptist Sunday School for twenty-five years. Mr. Webb is 
one of the two advisers from Tift County for the Chehaw Council of Boy 
Scouts. He was one of the directors of Tifton Board of Trade. In fact, 
Mr. Webb has been active in all civic affairs. 

Fishing, athletics, and children are his hobbies. 

He has educated two worthy students who were financially unable to at¬ 
tend college and is now helping support a foreign missionary. 



CHAPTER XXI 


SOME OF THE TIFT COUNTY BOYS WHO MADE THE 
SUPREME SACRIFICE IN WORLD WAR II 

(Not all Tift County soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in World 
War II are included here. The editor of the book announced several times 
in the Tifton Gazette that she would use only sketches sent by the families 
of these soldiers.) 


GARLAND C. ANDERSON 

Garland C. Anderson was born May 16, 1917 at Crandall, Georgia. 
In 1920 he moved with his family to Omega, where he attended high 
school and graduated in 1935. Afterwards he attended the Coynes Radio 
and Electric School in Chicago, Illinois. 

On March 10, 1941 he answered the call to colors and enlisted in the 
United States Army Air Corps; his assignment was in the radio depart¬ 
ment. Upon completion of his training here in the States, Garland was 
sent to Hickman Field, where he met his death during the Japanese sneak 
attack at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. 

Garland C. Anderson, an only child, is survived by his mother, Mrs. Jen¬ 
nie Mae Anderson, who lives in Omega. Early in 1946 his name was se¬ 
lected by the V.F.W. of Tifton, Georgia as the first Tift County boy to 
lose his life in World War II. The Tifton Post, therefore, was named in 
his honor the Garland C. Anderson Post Number 5250. 


TILTON EDWARD BELFLOWER 

Tilton Edward Belflower, son of the late Willie Jesse and Carrie Mc¬ 
Cook Belflower, was born in Tift County April 18, 1919. He attended the 
Brookfield and Tifton schools and was a farmer even while studying. He 
was single and had one sister, Mrs. Billy Pierce, and several half-brothers 
and sisters. 

On September, 1939 he joined the army at Fort Benning, Georgia, and 
was in the Tank Division. Prior to going overseas, he went to Fort Bragg. 
He went over the last of November and landed at Oran, N. Africa. Bel¬ 
flower fought in Sicilv and Italy before being sent to England for a rest 
period. After serving in the Normandy Invasion, he received his fatal 
wound in France, August 24, 1944. 

Sergeant Belflower is buried in an army cemetery at St. Andre-de-l-Eure, 
France, forty-eight miles from Paris, France. 


WINFORD ELIJAH EVANS 

Winford Elijah Evans, son of Elijah F. Evans and Essie Campbell 
Evans, was born at Daviston, Alabama. Later Winford lived at Brook- 


270 





HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


271 


field, Omega, and near Tifton. While attending the Brookfield school he 
assisted his father on the farm. 

In November, 1942, he entered service. He had his training in Camp 
Walters, Texas. During this time Winford won two medals in rifle con¬ 
tests. His overseas service was first in Africa, where Winford was a guard 
for several months. His company finally moved to Italy. Evans was killed 
on May 9, 1944 i n battle on the Anzio Beachhead in Italy. 

His musical gift was a source of much pleasure to his comrades and him 
between battles. 


REUBEN G. FUNDERBURK 

Private First Class Reuben G. Funderburk was born in Pinehurst, 
Georgia, Dec. 20, 1915, a son of Mr. and Mrs. James Anderson Funder¬ 
burk. He attended schools in Pinehurst, Georgia, Oakridge, and Tifton. 

When war was declared in December, 1941, Reuben G. Funderburk 
volunteered for active duty with the U. S. Army. Immediately after taking 
Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, he was transferred to the 
117th Infantry 30th Division. The 30th Division moved from Fort Jack- 
son to Camp Blanding, Florida, for a six weeks training course. After six 
weeks of hard intensive training, the Old Hickory Division moved to Fort 
Benning, Ga., for more advanced training. When the training was com¬ 
pleted the Division went on maneuvers in Tennessee. From Tennessee they 
went to Camp Atterbury, Indiana. For six more long weeks of hard train¬ 
ing, the Division was shipped to New York where they sailed for Eng¬ 
land. In June 1944 the Old Hickory Division landed in France, where 
the fighting had begun. 

Private First Class Reuben G. Funderburk was killed in action near 
La Cambre, France, July 15, 1944. 


RUSSELL LEONARD GARNER 

Russell Leonard Garner was born October 23, 1908 at Harding. 

When Russell was five years of age he had typhoid-pneumonia, which re¬ 
sulted in an operation. 

He received his entire schooling, other than what he received in the 
Navy, at Harding School. 

He joined the U. S. Navy July 2, 1927. He attended school for several 
months at the Great Lakes Naval Training School at Chicago. 

Russell was in service for fourteen and one-half years. On November 27, 
1941, he was killed at San Diego, California. He was test pilot and took 




272 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


the plane up for testing when something went wrong about it and he was 
killed. 

Russell was a good boy, was well-liked by everyone, especially his boy¬ 
hood friends. Although he was killed before war was actually declared, he 
was one of the first of our fine young men to give his life in service for 
his country. 


OLLIE E. GIBBS 

Lieutenant Ollie Gibbs, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Ollie Gibbs, Sr., was 
born February 24, 1917 in Tift County. He graduated from Tifton High 
School in 1936. Later Gibbs graduated from an electrical college in Chi¬ 
cago and became an expert electrician. 

In 1942 he volunteered for services in the Army Air Forces and after¬ 
wards received training in California, Arizona, and Louisiana. In 1944 he 
had to choose between being an instructor at Harding Field, Louisiana, and 
going overseas. Choosing the latter to be with his “buddies,” Gibbs w r ent 
to Duxford, England. From this base he sometimes flew two missions 
daily. On June 22, 1944, the P-47 plane, of which Gibbs was pilot, 
developing propeller trouble, crashed. Gibbs’s temporary resting place is 
near Cambridge, England. 


RALPH GIBBS 

Ralph Gibbs, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Gibbs, was born August 4, 
1917, in Tifton. While a student at Tifton High School, where he was 
graduated in 1934, Ralph won first place in music at a district meet. 

At Emory University he was soloist and accompanist for the glee club. 
While a freshman at Eastman School of Music, New York, Ralph had 
the honor of playing in Kilbourn Hall. 

He entered service July 12, 1941, in the Army Air Corps. Ralph went 
overseas June 5, 1943, and was with the ground forces of the Seventh 
Army Air Forces in England. 

He married Miss Margaret Matheson, Rickmonsworth Herts, England, 
in 1944. Sergeant Gibbs was killed April 23, 1945, at North Barrules, 
Isle of Man, in an airplane crash while on a non-operational cross-country 
flight. He was buried in the American cemetery at Cambridge. His wife 
and little daughter Rozanne, survive him. 

While in service Ralph gave several musical programs in England and 
was organist for post chapels. 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


273 


CURTIS MATHEWS 

Curtis Mathews, aviation ordnanceman third class U. S. N. R., was 
born April 13, 1925. His parents are Mr. and Mrs. Y. E. Mathews. Route 
4, Tifton, Georgia. 

He attended school at Harding and Tifton, graduating with the 1942 
class of Tifton High. Until entering service he was employed in the gro¬ 
cery business. 

He received his Navy training at Bainbridge, Maryland and Jackson¬ 
ville, Florida, and saw service at Sanford, New Smyrna, and Titusville, 
Florida, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Manteo, North Carolina. 

Ordnanceman Mathews died July 23, 1945 at a naval hospital in Nor¬ 
folk, Virginia, as the result of second degree burns received when a rocket 
was discharged accidentally. 


CHARLES WILLIAM MATHEWS 

Charles William Mathews was born in north-east Tift County January 
3, 1920. He attended the Harding School. 

After entering the navy in March, 1940, he was stationed on the cruiser 
Helena, which was damaged in the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 

1941- 

At the time of his death Charles was a coxswain. He was awarded post¬ 
humously the American Defense Service medal, World War II Victory 
medal, and the Purple Heart. 

He was listed as missing on July 6, 1943 in the battle off New Georgia 
Island and declared dead August 10, 1945. 


ALVIN McKINNEY* 

Pfc. Joseph Alvin McKinney, son of Aaron Alvin and Beulah Powers 
McKinney, was born at Tifton, Georgia, August 27, 1918. He graduated 
from the Tift County Industrial School May, 1937. For one year Mc¬ 
Kinney attended tht Georgia State College at Savannah, Georgia. He en¬ 
tered service May 26, 1941. During the summer of 1942 McKinney went 
overseas and later on April 27, 1944, died at Bougainville, while defending 
his country. 


SIDNEY NEIGHBORS 

Sidney Neighbors, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Neighbors, was born 
in Tifton, December 19, 1921. He attended the Tifton schools. On No- 

*MeKinney creditably represented his race in the great conflict. Tift County appreciates 
every good citizen. 






274 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


vember 7, 1942, he enlisted in United States Navy. Neighbors received 
boot training at Great Lakes, Illinois. He attended the Arm Guard 
School in Gulfport, Mississippi. On March 25, 1943 Neighbors left New 
York in a convoy attached to a merchant ship, which a submarine attacked 
later in the North Atlantic. 

Sidney was missing in action on April 16, 1943. A year later officials 
presumed that he was dead. 


CHARLES EDWIN PATTON 

Charles Edwin Patton was born in Tift County, Ga., April 1, 1909, 
son of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Patton. He received his education in the Tif- 
ton Public Schools. Afterwards, he was employed in the Tifton Post Office 
for twelve years as city mail carrier. On May 22, 1942 he was called into 
the services of the U. S. Army. He received his training at Fort Mc¬ 
Clellan, Ala., Miami, Fla., and Camp Gordon, Johnston, Fla., near Carra- 
belle. He was then shipped overseas, being stationed in England for some 
time. He was shipped to LeHarve, France, where he died of coronary 
thrombosis on Dec. 25, 1944, only a short time after he arrived there. He 
now lies at rest in United States Military Cemetery St. Andre, France. 


ROBERT B. POWLEDGE 

Robert B. Powledge was a boy of fourteen when he came to live with his 
aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Culpepper. He was a shy boy who 
soon entered into all the school activities under the guidance of his teachers 
and made many lasting friends. He will be remembered for his ath¬ 
letic ability in all sports and especially in football. 

Robert voluntarily entered the National Guard in 1941, joining the 
101st, Anti-aircraft Battalion in Atlanta. After being at Camp Stewart a 
year, Robert transferred to the Air Corps as an aviation cadet. After nine 
months of many trials and hardships, he won his “silver wings.” That day 
was the happiest in his short life. 

In March 1943, Robert left the States, a second Lieutenant in command 
of his own B-17. He was stationed in England. On July 17, 1943, he left 
on his ninth combat mission to go over Germany, from which he failed to 
return. His ship was last seen going down over the North Sea. 

Though the details of his death are not known, all who knew him are 
sure he died a hero’s death. 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


275 


FREDERICK E. (BILL) SEARS 

Frederick E. Sears, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Sears, was born Septem¬ 
ber 16, 1917. After graduating from Tifton High School in 1937, he 
worked with Wade-Corry Company until 1940 when he enlisted in peace¬ 
time army. Before going to the Aleutian Islands, he was stationed at Camp 
Stewart, Georgia, and at Fort Monroe, Virginia. After his transfer to the 
Army Air Forces, Bill returned to the States for training and later was 
ill of rheumatic fever in a hospital. 

Soon after his dismissal from the hospital, he was sent overseas to Ger¬ 
many. He was with General Patton’s Third Army. Corporal Sears was 
killed in March, 1945, after crossing the Mozelle river, trying to capture 
a small town. He is buried in the American cemetery at Luxemburg, where 
General Patton is buried. Sears was awarded two stars, the Bronze Star 
and the Purple Heart. 


GEORGE SUTTON 

George Sutton, son of Mr. and Mrs. George M. Sutton, Sr., was born 
March 10, 1918, in Tifton. He was an honor graduate of Tifton High 
School in 1935 and was one of the best students ever to attend this institu¬ 
tion. He won a competitive scholarship to Emory University and a scholar¬ 
ship to Louisiana State University. 

While studying at Tech to be an electrical engineer, George was a 
member of the Kappa Eta Kappa, honorary electrical engineering society, 
Coop Club, member of track team, and Y.M.C.A. Cabinet, a lieutenant 
in the ROTC, and a member of an honorary scholastic society. 

After his graduation at Tech and his work with the Babcox-Wilcox 
Boiler Company in Ohio, George entered the armed forces in 1941 with 
the Army Signal Corps. Later, he transferred to the Army Air Forces and 
received training as a navigator. Assigned to a B-24 Liberator Bomber, 
Lieutenant Sutton was sent overseas in 1943 and was killed in England, 
February 3, 1944. 


PFC. DURWARD LEE WILLIS 

Pfc. Durward Lee Willis was born in Tift County, June 18, 1922, a 
son of Mrs. Ollie Lastings Willis, of Tifton, and Lee Franklin Willis, 
formerly of Tifton. His brother and sister are Lee Franklin Willis, Jr., 
of Tifton, and Mrs. Pauline Willis Creech, of Brunswick, Georgia. 

Durward attended the Brookfield and Tifton Schools. He was a mem¬ 
ber of the Brookfield Baptist Church. 

In 1939, he joined the U. S. Army Air Corps at Fort McPherson, Ga. 




276 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


From there he was sent to Barksdale Field, Shreveport, La. He trained 
there as a gunner on a B-17 and was later transferred to the Savannah 
Air Base, Savannah, Ga. Later his squadron was sent on maneuvers in 
Louisiana. 

Upon completion of these maneuvers he was assigned to overseas duty in 
the Philippine Islands. He left San Francisco, California, in October of 
1941 and arrived in Manila the middle of November. From Manila he 
was sent to the Island of Leyete. Upon the fall of the Philippine Islands in 
May, 1942, he was taken prisoner by the Japanese and died of dysentery 
while still a prisoner November 7, 1942. 


p4 

< 

£ 

Q 

w 

O 

£ 


z 

o 

HH 

r 

k 

o 

< 


Q 

a 

W 

2 

c n 


J* 

h 

z 

p 

o 

u 

tn 

W 


cd cd cd ^ ^ 

bO b£) bOPn C O 

(J CJ CJ v - 4 -» h-> 

£ £ £ 

ooo^ HH 


1- u, u 
o oj cj 
-p jc *p 


O) 

o 

cd 


o 

B 

cd 

2 


' u«u 
cj cj 
-p *c 


.s 

« 


X 

<u 

£ 


_ K O rt 

o o O ^[L 

S ^ ^ i-T ^ 

P cd tJ — S 
o Grf G* ? rt .-3 -12 
M O ofe> rt 
hoo .>> 

pi v-» u cd !>• 
^Wffl 


c 

< 


3 W • 
C/3 C/i-r a> ^ 


tf >> 

S e 

CJ 


•?KK 


o, • ^ 

b"5 J 

CD W . 

CJ 


£ £S 

"S 


r! <d 
CJ u 


CD 

u 


?ss s 


CD 

U 


u 

CJ 

CJ ; 


CD 


o o 
■+-» '*-» 
Uh 'H-H 
• 

HH 

•«. •> 

ro J-» 
a> 

• r" 1 

5 o 

uS, 
a „■ 

,P CD ' 

■g *■ 
Sx 

4-> 

*S +■» ' 

CD cd 

•gs 

O . 

Wo 

o< 

cd 


P P 

o o 


CD 


hh 

a-T u 

M-i (n 

•*-• _Tj 

> # CD 

^c/3 

•* 

CD . 

- p 
p £ 
£ 2 
cdM 

•gw 

u 

>£, 

CD CD 

»- U 


W G 

CJ O 

cv~ 

oh 

a 

*3.2 

UU 

PQP 
U c 

. cd 

CD 

J-. +-> 

S 5 

"C ^ 
p 


o — 
S W 

• VH 

H cT 

u c 
X-g 

°o 

a. 

~ <D 

g-C 
o ^ 
SO 

p^ 

CO 


•O c P *V P 
o o p o 


cd 2 


cd 


cd, 


flj • ^ • • »-H 

boH H c^H 

4-» , - -LlJ , ^ 

• w* U }_ 1 1 '•— 

Cxj ^ o ^ 

oTX 

•, 4-» » 

<L> o o ; 

Ud k_i . . 1 


W 


CD 


u 


J yn 


cd 


^ ^ u __ 
cd cd cd 2 

cd cd ^ cd 


cd £ 

.y 2 

u P 

M-h ^ 

^ 23 
S5? 


S-S 

a§ 

U 

O 
<v 

o 


•n ■»— -4—* C*-h •*-' 

) i> o or o 

g £ = 5- 

£^£oO 

3 < • P2 fe 
< •< ®- 


n3 C C C C C 

C O O O O O 

H 4J +J +J 4J P 

00 ^ *-*-* m-i 

• «—< • «-N • »—• • »-s • »-H 

flHHHHH 
W - . - . . 

^ U ^ ^ D 

•» ^ ■ i i *-♦—• 

m •£ j> g 


ct C 

bo O 

cj •*-* 

rn M-h 
^ 


Cio 

o . 


c c 
o o 


c c 
o o 


— <L> 


14-, ^ ^ WH UhMh 
• »—I LLj • *-^ »*H • •-« • r- 

H HhhH 
. c 

u o 

CJ 


cd 

r- 

5 


w 


J= O 

oS 
S * 

^ CD 

U 

CD r 2 

o CO 

-4-* 

p J 

H—H ^ 

u 


Ph 


•» CD 

K. »» *-H • *-H 

-5 Xi cn •" 
"O’ 0 

K|f o . 

(3J - ^ 


^ • cn 

k 4 • 

« eg s 


c >’3 — 
rt*C 

cd 
PH 


CD ^ W—H 

>;S ! 


ON ON 


-M 

cd 

Q 




u 

qQ 


CJ « 


JC 

u 

C 

cd 

u 

W 


^COCON 
^1" ^1- Tf 

On On On On 


Os O VO 


u 

u 

cd 




CJ 

*—• 

cd 

*rH 

w 

cd 

2j 

u 

o 


u •o 

1 z ? 

U {£ 

I 

•S e« g 

rt O OT - 
rt C 
O — cd 

C ^ ^ 

2 H x CO 
J- - V 
££•0- 
^ ° orz 

C U V- r^ 

<UfflW 


< 


cj 

oj ^ 




>> 

> 

cd 


<v 
Cl> 
O 
u 

"O ^ 
p W 

JS U 

bo oj 

P > 

WO 


ro 

On 


CD 

u 


cd 

P 


CO 


CD 

u 


nj 

P 

cd 


u *P 

cj ~ 

ou 


. 2 • 
. ^ CD 


- u. 
G <U 
O X3 

22 a 

G <u 

/s > 

o a 

Ww 

o £ 
c/21: 


•a H 
in 

•s 

•s ^ 

CJ <D 
“ CJ X 
U 4-> 

cj O 

cuS 

X Ifl- 

GP G 
rt 

PQ > 

.W 

CD 

V-. r * 

kH W 


<D 

•c 

'M 

o 

u < 

P3 1 


u 

OJ 

•C 


^ J—I 

CJ OJ 

X JG 


§ «< 


CD 

Uh 


l-H p 

be <u i> 
c > > 
WOO 


Tf 

ON 


^1" 


CO 

_ 

w 


^1" 

On 


00 

CvJ 

cd 


4-i 

*CJ "P 

• . 

: >4 : 

: r* • 

i 

i 

i 

>4 >4 
rr r- 

<—• 

cd O 

1 ^ 

* Cd r^ 

CJ 

cd cd 

• *——» cd 

5 *5) 

^ «-h 

>» G O 

CJ 

p 

P r - 1 

P P 

— U N 

cd cj p 

cd 

u 

u u 

CJ CJ 

w w 

wow 

woo 

to to 

to to 

CO 

: Tf 

p- Tf 

Tf Tf Tf 


: Tf 

On ON 

ON On ON 

On 

: On 

t-H 

— ^ ( 


; r-H 

• 

no CO 

no" VO CO 

CO 

: ^ 

(N 

CJ 

___ 

r-H CM 

— rP P 

r+ 

• 

; -4—• 

: o 

P 2 
»—4 CP 

^ U P 

n U « 

O' cd 

cd 

>—> 

• 

i? 

: < 

• . 

• i 

• i 

• i 

• i 

is i 

s : i 
: : 

i 

• 

i 

• 

i 

j ! 

• ! 

: : 

: : 


w 


CD 

U 


•s CD 

>>P0 
"O po 

|3 

°w 

- 4 -* 

«*-» /-s’ 

3 ° 


cd o 

fc s 

r 

cd ct 

So 

^•S 


o 


cd 


S £ 


CJ 
CJ 
>. p 


cd 


cd 

u 

W 


cd 


P 

jd 

"bo 

P 


c- 

CD 

cd 


w w 


CJ 

u 

r- 

cd 

u 

w 


> 


>w I < 


O 

o 

u 

p U o 

Q _ H 


cd hr^ 

QJ H-. 

- 4 -» 

O; p 


CD 

CJ 

TT 

cd 


£ 

r< ■ 

cd 


►—> P CJ 
cd 

tgo 
4> >,W 

CD ^ <V 

> ^ bo 


G I P 

i- c n 

< 

I w | 

S S J 


>. 

r-» 

P 

V-c 

< 


u P 

<; . 

- < >? 


Tf Tf Tf Tf C\J 
^ Tf Tf Tf Tf ^t 


On (Vj to ^ 

CM CvJ CVJ og r-H CNJ 

>i bo ^ 2 ^ ^ bo 

5 £ g a ^ 

^ G p a; <f - 

— ■ -,co • 




U 


CJ 

to 

J- 

o 


rrt C 

^ O 

^ - 4 —• 


P 


~ O ~ r* V/ 
r/T O CD c CD ,P CJ 

- CD pd ~ po ^ — 

— -G O t; *G ’G ^ 

" O O 

2Z ^ ^ Ph 




M ^ d- ^/ C N X O O 


S<w 

W - r-T 

p: c 

c 45 5 

5 o; 
So — 

rvi r<i Tf 


< JP 

a 


> p f£ 

^ rZ r/i 


w 

1“^ 

•u£ 

wo 

to NO 


£«< 

GW 

CJ U 
CQ CJ 

^ *u 
r cj 
u 

w 

CD 

rt o 
oj 




£< 


< 


P £ 

J-H U 

<< P 

l l ^ 

ll< 

u w 


CJ 

P 

CJ 

bo 

P 

W 


X 


CD 

O 

+■> ^ 
p CD JO 


P _ 
cd • — 

W u 
sV 
o - 

CD CD 


CJ 


CJ CJ P 
bfi’G O 

0>O£h 

o . . 

U U 
fS CJ CJ 

o *£ £ 

x G o 

G 

Hi j CQ 


^ • : >, 

< I g>2 5 

I < J I < 

Jr I I be 
<£ G I ’O w 
C -G <U rt o 
- OG C n! 

^^O'S o 
.x WE 

2T3 x 


3 ^3 

> Op cd o 

WQO^O 


K CC Qn 


Q^fNJf^TflDNONX^ 
r\j r\j r\) r\j rvj cm ^4 cm rvj 





























































Name Branch Date Place Next of Kin 

30. Patton, Charles E.—Army .Dec. 25, 1944 France .Mrs. J. D Patton, Mother, Tifton 

31. Cooper, Francis A.—Army .June 1, 1944 N. Burma .Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Cooper, Mother 

and Father, Tifton 


C U £ 

G 

+-> -4-> 

i -*—• 

r or 

u ^ uT 
& V 

+-* r- 1 

<2 c gc 

£ • c 

OJ 

03 


— <V 
cd jz; 

y o 

N ^ 


o 


P4 


0^5 


'St E 

>- 03 


U 


o 

03 M 

• 

o3 

Urn 

< c/1 


«- c c c 

« c o o 

+-> +■* +-» 

n • *■« • *“• • ^ 

^ Crf fh 

r-> qj 

O ^ ^ ^ 

2 

T uT uT 

^ ~ +-> +-> 

. rt o 0 

w « 


fr , c/) 

u o> 
<U jG 
X ^ 

S « 

SS 




o3 


G 

N 

*-* 

hJ 


*- l— 

£ 

u C 

<y G 

u u 

CT; 


C/j M 

j- ^ 

G • 

b£ </j 


C ^ 

o £ 
£ 2 

lZ j- 

“ a> 

I— 22 

CU ^ 

cd 

>> 

nr 

"C G 
G OJ 
cd(J 


c/) 


u 


03 


.u 


£ H 






03 

U 


o3 


O ••^> 

to 03 c - 

Q o! 4J O 
-.£< t: 

rt— • ° 

in 022 


U2 = ^ 


CJ 

cd 

u 

(X| 


G G 


HH 

0> <D 

•c G 

rt.s 

„ u 

-2S 

a! 

°< 
CQ ^ 

r* 

J 2 

cd 

r< 

v 

•S' 3 

«cj 


jd 

3 

<L> 

CQ 


hJ 

<y 

§2 

£ « 

G tWD 

S 2 

u G 
CQ OC 


CM co 


r-lOOVO 

M“ 

CO Tf 

^t* 


nt Tf Tf 


nf ^r 

On Cn 

Q\ 

Cn On Cn On 

ON 

On On 

y—* r—i 


i i »—i 


^ T-H 

CM vo" 

oc 

t%T u-T O <T5 

lid 

VO ^ 

^ ^-H 

CM 

CM CM ^ CM 


CM 

> 

r- 

c >.CG >> 

> i? u- •G 

jG 

^rp 
P u 

<y o 

03 

• 

• 


G 




CM co Tf‘ in \d N OO 

co ro co co co <0 fO 


£ 

u 

< 


• 

JG 

S 

y 

<v 

-X 

u 

G 

u 

y 

nr 

r - 

P 

Uh 

ON 



^ c- 
<U ~ 

hJ a 

^ QJ 

t O 

Cj ^ 

O >, 

Cd ^ 
^ G 
~ G 

w • ^ 

O u 
CQ^ 

































CHAPTER XXII 
WIRE GRASS JOURNALISM 

J. T. Maund, of Dawson, together with J. F. Thompson, of Valdosta, 
in 1881 established in Ty Ty the first newspaper in what is now Tift 
County. The Ty Ty Echo was a three-column folio, printed on a job press. 
The Echo suspended publication in 1882. 

Ty Ty business men, pleased with their paper, regretted its suspension 
so much that they offered inducements to an outstanding wire grass jour¬ 
nalist, Hanlon, of the Isabella Star, to move his paper to Ty Ty. He 
accepted the terms and moved the Star in February 1883 to Ty Ty. Late 
in the year Hanlon moved to Albany. 

Mr. H. D. Webb’s father, W. W. Webb, a few years ago had a copy 
of The Echo, published December 23, 1881. This paper was edited by J. 
T. Maud and C. A. McDonald. The price of subscription was a dollar a 
year in advance. The motto was: “The good and bad will be returned 
by The Echo ” 

Included in this issue are: “How to Tell,” which explains the difference 
in news items and advertisements; “Queer,” an article about a dog fight; 
“Ty Ty’s School,” of which John Murrows was principal; quotations on 
cotton, hides, bacon, and turpentine; notice by J. J. Williams, J. P. and 

J. W. Overstreet, N.P., ex-officio, J. P., that justice court would be held 
the first Thursday in each month instead of the first Saturday; a dance at 
the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Hale; the death of Marion Dampier, son 
of Mr. and Mrs. John Dampier; singing school of twenty-five students, 
taught by Prof. Nolen; the marriage of Miss C. A. Lawson to W. J. B. 
Wadkins. 

Advertisements included the following: Dr. G. E. White, physician and 
surgeon, Ty Ty; Morgan and Corbett, attorneys at-law—Morgan, Al¬ 
bany; Corbett, Ty Ty—C. A. McDonald, attorney at-law, Ty Ty; T. 

K. Mashow’s barroom and family grocery, located four miles south of 
Ty Ty at Pine Forest, Georgia; T. K. Mashow, dealer in naval stores. 
Ty Ty; the tonsorial saloon of R. G. W. Brooks, who offered to cut hair 
as smooth as a face, and shampoo heads; livery stable, W. W. Crockett, 
owner, Ty Ty; Spencer Graves, dealer in fancy articles, notions, patent 
medicine, patented safety single trees, soap, wagons, newspapers, magazines ; 
J. B. Cannon, agent for New Home sewing machines, also contractor and 
builder; I. L. Ford and Company, north side of railroad; Ty Ty dealers 
in furniture, dry goods, groceries, fancy goods, confectionaries, boots and 
shoes, hardware, tinware, and turpentine tools; J. A. Payne, north side of 
railroad, dry goods, groceries, gents furnishings and buyer of wool and 
country produce; W. F. Harrell, dealer in fancy and family groceries, 
south side of railroad, Ty Ty. 


27 9 


280 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Maund, son of Mr. and Mrs. T. M. Maund, was born in Dawson, 
Terrell County, September 30, 1863. When very young he learned in the 
office of the Dawson Journal the printing trade, which he followed for 
thirty-five years. He edited The Fledging in Dawson, and when about 
eighteen years old published Ty Ty’s first newspaper, The Echo. Later 
he worked with the Worth County Local at Sumner, and for sometime 
was editor of the Irwin County News at Sycamore, 

On May 3, 1882 he married Electra Kendrick, of Ty Ty. They had 
two children, a son, Leon, who was with The Times in Valdosta, and a 
little daughter. 

Maund came to Tifton in 1894 and worked with The Gazette for 
eleven years, then went to Valdosta, where he worked for five years. In 
1911 he returned to Tifton and his old job, foreman of mechanical de¬ 
partment, and worked until his death, three months later. Maund was a 
member of the Methodist Church. 

The Tifton Gazette, not the daily paper, was established as the Berrien 
Pioneer in 1889 by B. T. Allen, at Sparks, Georgia. In 1890 it was moved 
to Tifton and named The Tifton Gazette. The earliest copy of the 
Gazette now available is January 22, 1892. It is a four-page paper, with 
six thirteen-inch columns tc the page. The outfit consisted of a small 
assortment of type, a Washington hand press, a job press and a small hand- 
lever paper cutter. The type was set by hand and the presses w T ere operated 
by manpower. 

la The news items in Allen’s paper were much more casual than they 
are in the Gazette of today; the headlines were smaller; and there was 
little attempt to separate the important news from the unimportant. Adver¬ 
tisements were segregated from the news, and they were for the most part 
less effectively written than they are in the present era. Some of the firms, 
however, notably E. P. Bowen, Tifton Drug Store, and the Padrick 
Brothers, were modern in their advertising. 

“Like other newspapers of the nineties, the early Gazette had a charm 
that is foreign to modern journalism. Occasional Latin headlines, riming 
advertisements that carried the rich flavor of old English novels are for 
the most part a thing of the past. 

“B. T. Allen was a man of no mean newspaper ability; his nose for 
news pointed toward the affairs of his neighbors, in which he realized his 
subscribers were primarily interested. If a baby boy was born to the Roscoe 
Hermans, Mr. Herman w T as made to ‘bask in the sunlight of the sweet 
smile’ of a handsome baby boy, newly arrived. An epidemic of measles was 
an event; and if a dog bit a man, to B. T. Allen, at least, it was news. 
Though chockfull of news from the town and surrounding territory, Al¬ 
len’s paper neglected state and national news except in editorial discussion. 


1. Fred Shaw’s manuscript, about Tift County. 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


281 


“Like other Gazette editors, Allen was intensely ambitious for his town 
and section. This ambition found partial expression in a wise thoughtful¬ 
ness regarding the needs of the town. For instance, soon after the estab¬ 
lishment of the paper, Editor Allen began agitation for a bank, a railroad 
to Thomasville, a better passenger depot, and the clearing of farm lands 
—all of which things were eminently desirable.” 

The following is an example of Allen’s editorial comments: 

“A Third Partyite has had the gall to try to buy our political opinions 
for a dollar. He agreed to take the Gazette another year if we would let up 
on our fight against his party—with its dangerous heresies known as the 
twelfth plank, female suffrage plank, etc. His subscription was declined 
with thanks. Sorry so thoughtless a citizen lives in Berrien County.” 

In 1895 Allen sold the newspaper and job printing to Baldridge and Ful- 
w T ood, real estate firm. J. L. Herring, father of the present editor of the 
Gazette, accepted a position with the paper, which he later purchased; he 
served as manager and editor until his death in 1923. Then his son, John 
Greene Herring, was editor until his death in 1938, at which time Mr. 
Bob assumed the duties of editor. 

During these years of progress the Gazette, paralleling the growth of its 
town, has sponsored many worthwhile movements in Tifton, and survived 
three wars, Spanish-American, World War I, and World War II. Since 
the date of its birth, September 14, 1914, the daily has won distinction. 
These honors have been recorded in a previous chapter. 

The quaint type of wedding “write-ups” was illustrated in the Gazette 
of 1899: 

“Our handsome young friend, Dr. J. A. Gaskins, of Willacoochee, has 
at last surrendered to the God of Love and was united in marriage Wed¬ 
nesday of last week to Miss Estelle Moate, at the residence of the bride’s 
parents.” 

Another example is: 

“It was on February 3, that Florida’s most brilliant son and Georgia’s 
most beautiful and loving daughter made the fatal leap which Lycurges 
calls the cardinal point in everybody’s life. J. K. Fitzgerald to Miss Grace 
McMillan. 

“After a series of congratulations from the lips of the multitude who 
witnessed the scene, they w T ere seated to a most beautiful table, containing 
all the delicacies of life.” A complete list of wedding presents was given. 

Marriages were referred to in the old issues as Hymen’s altar. 


282 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


These were quaint rimes about styles: 

“What are the wild waves saying 
Brother, the whole day long? 

They’re saying: Your bathing suit, sister, 
Will certainly shake the throng.” 


“Mary had a hobble skirt 
From Paris it was sent 
And wheresoe’er she starts to go, 
She never seems to ‘went’.” 


Some of the clever examples of advertisements are: 

“An honest pill is the noblest work of the apothecary”—Dewitt’s Early 
Risers. 


“Honest John Liver Pills. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Not less 
than a million have found just such a friend in Dr. King’s New Discovery.” 


“Noah advertised the flood. He lived through it, and the fellows who 
laughed at him were drowned. Ever since then the advertiser has been get¬ 
ting strong, and those who do not advertise, getting left.” 


“Late to bed and early to rise 
Will shorten the road to 
Your home in the skies 
But early to bed and 
A Little Early Riser 
The pill that makes life 
Longer, and better, and wiser.” 


Entertainments were written up in a flowery style during the nineties: 

“Wednesday evening Mrs. Boatright gave an entertainment in honor 
of the visiting young ladies and a gathering of youth and beauty did honor 
to the occasion. The game of Pillow Dex afforded much amusement and 
the recitation by Miss Belle Willingham of ‘Prince Eric’s Christ Maid’ 
was superb. Miss Katherine Tift [now Mrs. Katherine Tift Jones, noted 
radio artist] rendered ‘Aux Italiens’ in the charming and inimitable style 
that is peculiarly her own and which so delights and entertains her listen¬ 
ers. Exquisite piano and guitar music was rendered by Miss Bertha and 
Mr. Ray Larkin, and with delicious refreshments, a feast of reason and a 
flow of soul, the evening was delightfully spent.” 








HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


283 


References to politics were interesting: 

“Rockaby, baby, your mamma has gone. 

She’s out at a caucus 
And will be till .dawn. 

She wore papa’s trousers 
And in them looked queer 
So hushaby, baby 
Your papa is here.” 


One advertisement. suggested that Cleveland or Harrison would be 
elected President, according to the one who took Dewitt’s Early Risers. 

“The Gazette is for democracy pure and simple, first, last, and all the 
time . . . These are political times when Democrats cannot afford to com¬ 
promise their faith in the slightest degree. Those who are not for democ¬ 
racy are enemies and should be treated as such.” 


“The conspiracy in which Tom Watson is engaged is damnable enough 
to make the departed spirit of Aaron Burr turn green with envy.” 


A negro said about the Third Party: 

“Well, now lemme tell .you, boss, you know dat de white folks is de 
fust party; de niggers am de second; now if you thinks I’s gwine ter jine 
a party neaf a nigger, you is badly fooled, for I be dadsnatched if I do, 
dey is low down enough for me.—Fort Valley Leader.” 

Miscellaneous quotations from the old files are also interesting: 

“ ‘Come Eve,’ said Adam sadly 
From this place we must repair 
Because you ate that apple dear, 

We must quit this garden fair; 

Then Eve looked meekly up at him 
And sprang this gaglet rare, 

Which all her sisters since have used 
‘I’ve not a thing to wear’!” 

“As a rule, man’s a fool either accidentally or intentionally.” 

“ ‘The man that speaks a dozen tongues 
Is wise,’ says Pat, ‘but then 
He’s wiser still if he has learned 
To keep his mouth shut in’.” 


“Dr. Nick Peterson had a narrow escape last Friday while speeding his 
horse on Love Avenue. One tire of his road cart burst and the wheel 







!84 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


spread out to such large dimensions that it overturned the cart, throwing 
the Doctor out on his head. He crawled out of the ditch somewhat dis¬ 
figured about the forehead, but not seriously hurt.” 

“Prof. Gray of Alabama will preside over the destinies of McPherson. 
Academy, Nashville.” 


Modern reducing is suggested in the following: 

“Oh, who would not a mermaid be? 
She never moans or wails, 

For even though she takes on flesh 
She’s not afraid of scales.” 


John Greene Herring, who was born on December 8, 1891, became editor 
of the Tifton Gazette after the death of his father, J. L. Herring, in 1923. 
He was graduated from the Tifton High School in 1909. He held every 
position on the paper from carrier boy to editor. During his connection with 
the Gazette it won the trophy given by the Georgia Bankers’ Association 
for the Georgia newspaper doing the most constructive work for the 
restoration of confidence, the award offered by the War Cry, publication 
of Salvation Army, for best editorial on a religious subject, and a prize 
offered by the Emory School of Journalism for best editorial on the aims, 
ideals, and purposes of a newspaper. 

For a while Mr. Herring was city editor of the Albany Herald and later 
a reporter for the Dublin Courier, but he returned to the Gazette and 
worked until his death in 1938. 

He married Miss Ruby Hewitt. There are seven children in this family: 
Paul, Jack, Reuben, Tim, Lois, Sue, and Eunice. 

Bob Herring, son of J. L. Herring, has been editor of the Gazette 
since 1938, when his brother died. “Mr. Bob,” as many people call him, 
has lived in Tifton since his birth on July 28, 1899. He graduated from 
the Tifton High School in 1916 and went overseas in 1918. In 1919 Her¬ 
ring returned to the States. 

Mr. Herring married Ida Mae Broadwell. They have two girls, Bar¬ 
bara and Jean (Mrs. John Matthews). 

He is a member of the Tifton Chamber of Commerce, the American 
Legion, and the Methodist Church. 

His connection with Gazette began as carrier when he was a little boy; 
press feeder was the next step; linotypist next; editor, last. Under his 
leadership the paper has progressed and as usual has paralleled the growth 
of Tifton. The paper has been honored and is considered one of the best 
small-town papers in the state. The last addition to the paper is an Asso¬ 
ciated Press teletype. 





HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


285 


Miss Leola Judson Greene, Mr. Bob’s maternal Aunt, who in 1947 
celebrated her fiftieth anniversary of work with the Gazette, is another 
prominent Wire Grass journalist. She has done all kinds of work, from set¬ 
ting type to writing feature stories and editorials. She has written during 
three wars: Spanish-Ameriean War, World War I and World War II. 
A veteran newspaper woman and citizen of the highest type, Miss Leola 
though true to the ideals of the Old South is still progressive. 

Miss Emma Rebecca Sutton, who wrote many interesting articles for 
the Tifton Gazette was a noted Wire Grass journalist. Years ago she went 
to New T York as a newspaper reporter and stayed several years, but re¬ 
turned to her home in Ty Ty, where she was a benefactor to her com¬ 
munity. 

Gus Pat Adams, who selected Smada for his penname, wrote for the 
Tifton Gazette many interesting articles about Tift County, people. The 
following article gives a sketch of his life: 

GUS PAT ADAMS 
(Copied from the Tifton Gazette) 

“Nov. 24, 1933—Gus Pat Adams, 76 years old, one of the best known 
residents of this section of the state, died Friday morning at 2:20 at his 
home 3 V2 miles northeast of Chula. Adams was taken ill last summer while 
on a visit at Harrisburg, Va. He hurried to Tifton and was taken to the 
Coastal Plain Hospital, later being carried to his home near Chula, where 
he died. He was not married and made his home with D. H. Hogan and 
family who lived on Adams place. 

“Adams was born in Brooklyn, N. Y. He was a painter and decorator 
and came to this section 35 years ago. He followed his profession many 
years and traveled about over this section, from town to town and went 
from home to home. He knew all the old residents of this section and visit¬ 
ed with them. He made headquarters around Chula and it was at the 
home of William Branch near Chula 30 years ago that he was given the 
nickname, ‘Pat.’ 

“Adams worked for the Gazette for several years as country circulator 
and became a regular contributor under the name Smada. Visiting around 
over the country he came to know all the old families and wrote up all of 
them in an interesting manner. He attended family reunions, annual meet¬ 
ings, and celebrations, and his writings of these gatherings were an inter¬ 
esting feature in the Gazette for many years. 

“Pat Adams was an institution in this section. He was best known in 
Tift, Turner, and Irwin counties, but also known in a dozen other coun¬ 
ties. He was an interesting talker as well as writer. He was well read, kept 
posted on politics, and could converse intelligently with learned or ignorant 


286 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


on any subject. Pat was a man of generous, jovial nature, and unfortunate 
was the man who didn’t claim him as a friend. He had no relations in 
this section, but a host of friends, who will regret to learn of his death. 
Three sisters survive: Mrs. Francis Hale, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Mrs. Anna 
Gluckley, of Hackensack, N. Y., and Mrs. Emma Bailey, of Coscob, Conn. 
Buried at Hickory Springs by request. 

The Tifton Free Press was established in September, 1940, by J. L. 
Williams, a pioneer of Tift County. For years while traveling in different 
parts of the United States he wrote for the Tifton Gazette several inter¬ 
esting articles. The Free Press is distributed in three groups, each group 
receiving papers every three weeks: five rural routes in one direction; six 
in another; and all directions in the city. These papers go into thirty-four 
different homes. Some are sent as far as Texas and Pennsylvania. 

The Press is an unusual paper, which combines the journalism of a 
newspaper and magazine. Subjects range from humor to pathos; they are 
reminiscent, informal, thought-provoking, entertaining, and informational. 
The editor gives the reader the benefit of his observation and keen mem¬ 
ory. Instead of publishing sensational articles, Williams gives historical, 
secular, and sacred sketches, biography, treatises on political and geo¬ 
graphical subjects, discussions of ornithology, animals, diseases, economic 
problems, stories of human interest, and humorous informal essays. 

Some of his best articles are “Koreshans at Estero, Florida,” “The 
Humming Bird,” “Cancer,” “Monkeys,” “Moses,” “The Wise Men and 
Star of Bethlehem,” “Reading and the Human Mind,” “Short Skirts,” 
“The Last Supper and Resurrection,” and “Egypt.” 

Often Williams intersperses an interesting chapter of his own life and 
refers to many incidents connected with Tift County pioneers. During the 
last war he wrote articles about the different countries in the conflict. 

The Omega News, a weekly newspaper, was established by J. W. Lang 
and his son, W. L. Lang, in 1938 at Omega, Tift County, Georgia. At 
that time the paper was three columns wide and ten inches in length. The 
type was set by hand and the paper printed on a hand operated press. 

In 1940 some additional equipment was purchased including a cylinder 
press, driven by electric power. The size of the paper was increased to 
four pages and six columns. The type was still set by hand. In 1946 a 
linotype was purchased and the paper increased to six pages, still six 
columns in width. 

The largest edition ever published by the Omega News was the Christ¬ 
mas 1946 special edition which included 22 pages. The News has been 
operated by the Langs ever since its establishment. J,. W. Lang is co-owner 
and W. L. (Bub) Lang is managing editor. Bub took time out during 
World War II, when he served four years in the U. S. Navy holding the 
rank of lieutenant senior grade. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


287 


The Omega. News has marched along with the progress of its com¬ 
munity, which has doubled in population during the time the news has 
been serving its people. 


Lucy Maude Dowd Thompson, daughter of William Richard Dowd 
and Mary Ann Overby Dowd, was born on October 8, 1876, in Stewart 
County, Georgia. She attended high school at a country community, then 
called Pleasant Valley, and later attended the State Normal School, first in 
1898-1901. 

Miss Dowd taught school from January 1, 1895 until June 1912. Seven 
years teaching was in one-teacher schools; the last teaching in 1912 was in 
Statesboro High School. She taught in Ty Ty from 1907 to 1910. 

She married William Charles Thompson, of Ty Ty, Tift County, on 
August 8, 1912. 

Mrs. Thompson was postmaster at Ty Ty from January 1, 1915 to 
July 1, 1930, and counts among her mementoes the commission signed by 
her admired President Woodrow Wilson. 

She has been a member of the Methodist Church since a small child, and 
is now general superintendent of the Church School at Ty Ty Methodist 
Church, which appointment came seven years ago. 

She is a life charter member of the Woman’s Society of Christian Serv¬ 
ice; a charter member of the Woodman Circle, and financial secretary 
since 1920; a member of the D.A.R., and is eligible for membership in 
Colonial Dames. 

Her hobbies are folks and flowers. She still feels a deep personal interest 
in each person she taught in school or Church School. 

Some of her feature stories have been published in the Tifton Gazette 
and other newspapers of the state. Her articles and other contributions have 
meant much to the development of Ty Ty. 


The life and distinctive contributions of J. L. Herring, former editor of 
Tifton Gazette, are presented in the pioneer chapter. Mr. Herring as an 
editor and author of “Saturday Night Sketches” deserves a distinctive place 
in Georgia. He was the prose Robert Burns of the Wire Grass. The follow¬ 
ing is one of the “Saturday Night Sketches”: 

A WIRE GRASS EASTER 

We walked to church—we had no other way of going. The path led 
over the gently undulating hills, through swishing wire grass, verdant with 
the return of spring. Overhead the sighing pines also had taken on a 
brighter tinge with the life of the new year. The poplars and blackgums 
in the branch to the right were in leaf; the dark green of the bay was 




288 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


relieved, as by a snowy shower, by the dogwood in full bloom. Out on the 
edge of the bushes the gallberries formed a greenish saffron background for 
clumps of honeysuckle in full pink flower. The air was heavy with per¬ 
fume, redolent with the lassitude of spring. 

The little log church stood in a small grove of oaks on top of the hill. 
Between the cracks of the logs the spring breeze came unobstructed; the 
tiny shutterless windows on either side were useless The broad door in one 
end marked a dividing aisle, on either side of which the rough benches 
were ranged. On one side sat the women and girls; on the other the men 
and boys. In the pine-board pulpit stood the preacher, a patriarch with 
white, flowing beard, deep voice and a knowledge of the Bible gained 
through many years of study at noon rest time, or by the light of a tallow 
candle, or a lightwood-knot fire. 

The Boy lounged lazily on a bench underneath the small window and 
watched the door. For a while vainly, and then She came! And with her 
a breath Elysian, a sense of completeness; all in the world worth while 
was there! 

Not even a small part of the large sum required now for Easter tog¬ 
gery went toward her adornment, but to the eye nothing was lacking. Her 
dress of delicately figured calico had been fashioned by her own skilled 
fingers; with tight-fitting basque and flowing skirt her figure was faultless; 
just the tips of her shoes showed as she stepped, a rustle of many skirts 
betraying the efficiency of the home laundry. A ribbon at her waist, another 
at her collar, a tiny bunch of violets pinned at her breast. 

No Easter bonnet of fabulous price upon her head, but a real bonnet of 
pink calico, corded and quilted until it stood out stiffly as board (aided by 
thin strips of pine inserted), enshrined her face, as a priceless living pic¬ 
ture in its frame. 

A wonderful thing, that bonnet. Its front came down as her chin re¬ 
tired, just at the time to tease; it went up as her head was raised, in a 
manner most alluring. Back in its depths her cheeks glowed with the blush 
of the rose in springtime; her eyes sparkled with the light of the stars in 
summer; her hair rippled as the nut-brown throat of the thrush, catching 
the light from the sunbeams dancing outside; her fluttering breath came 
and went as the perfume of the summer pinks beside the walk at home. 

Then, the bonnet was laid aside to catch the summer air, and all the 
wonderful glories it had half concealed came with amazing suddenness to 
the youth who gazed, entranced. Only one brief glance did she vouchsafe 
him, when she turned reverently to where the preacher, who had opened 
his Bible, was searching in his hymn book for the Easter anthem to line 
to the waiting congregation. 

A sermon of power it was, of the risen Jesus, and the fearful price he 
had paid, but of a Jesus triumphant, because He had conquered by love; 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


289 


of the promise and the invitation; of the wonderful brotherhood of Man 
and the certainty of immortality through Him who went down into the 
grave and rose again to live and conquer, giving life everlasting through 
death of agony. 

When the sermon was over, the Boy was waiting outside. She came 
hesitatingly, laughing with girl companions, and pretending not to see. 
But, although he blushed and stammered, he was resolute, and when the 
direct question came she could not ignore. So they walked to her home 
through the springtime and the sunshine; the life of one, and the warmth 
of the other in their hearts. 


JAMES LUTHER WILLIAMS 
Who Started the Florida Boom 
by Elizabeth Pickard Karsten 

James Luther Willliams was born in what formerly was called the 
Talokas District, in Brooks County, Georgia, February i, 1880, son of 
Dr. Greene Berry Williams (born Wilkinson County, Georgia, April 19, 
1836) and Martha Brice Williams (born Brooks County, Talokas Dis¬ 
trict, April 21, 1843). 

Almost from infancy Luther Williams loved horses. Early he learned to 
ride. His uncle, Mitchell Brice, of Brooks County, owned large farms and 
Mitchell and his son had a long string of race horses. They raised them 
and young Luther rode them, at the smaller towns in Georgia, and in 
Savannah and at Orlando, Florida. Among the most famous animals owned 
by Mitchell were Jennie B., Maude, Baltic, Little Baltic. Jennie B. 
equaled the world’s record for a quarter of a mile, at Rome, Georgia, in 
1890. One vacation Luther had an unusually happy holiday period; then 
came his bitterest disappointment: he could ride in the races no more, 
because he had grown too big to be a jockey. 

Luther remained at home until he was twelve. Thereafter he attend¬ 
ed school a year and worked a year. For several years this was his wont. 
He went to the Quitman public schools. 

When not yet sixteen Williams went into the telephone business, first 
at Quitman, then in Valdosta, then in Quitman again, and, in 1898, in 
Tifton, where he came to overhaul the telephone exchange. He remained 
here from January to July, 1989. From Tifton he went to Newbern, North 
Carolina, where he was manager of the telephone company of which 
Nathan Strauss, of New York, was president. He was at Newbern until 
December, 1898. Thence he went to Waycross. Thence he returned to 
Tifton, in March 1899. 

October 2, 1900, James Luther Williams was married to Lelia Linton 



290 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Goff, of Cochran, daughter of Charles Gordon Goff and Missouri Salome 
Thompson, of Houston County. Dr. Charles Dilworth performed the 
ceremony at the Tifton Baptist parsonage, later the B. B. Grantham home. 

At Valdosta in 1898 Mr. Williams experienced his first wireless achieve¬ 
ment. He was talking in broken conversation from Valdosta to Waycross 
with a quarter of a mile of line out. Next day he told of the extraordinary 
experience and people were skeptical. Since no one believed him he stopped 
telling the incident. The line was a high powered cable and the atmos¬ 
pheric conditions were excellent for reception. 

During World War I when the United States was experiencing a sugar 
shortage Mr. Williams invented a new kind of plow which revolutionized 
the method of cultivation of sugar cane in the vast cane growing fields of 
Cuba. 

Cuban cane fields had been oxen-plowed. Tractor cultivation had failed. 
Williams, then with a large harvester company, designed and had built at 
Chattanooga a model which successfully did the difficult work. He narrow¬ 
ed the furrow from ten to five inches, doubled the weight of the plow, and 
made the frame twice as high. This was used successfully in Egypt and 
elsewhere. At that time Williams had succeeded better than any other 
known man, perhaps, in designing, building, and operating tractor plows. 

A horse could not work in the Everglades. In 191-6 Mr. Williams 
traveled through the Everglades with the idea of plowing them with 
a tractor plow. Traveling, he did not plow until 1918, when he made a 
tractor plowing demonstration before 238 people, gathered fifteen miles 
up the Miami Canal. Most of those present were real estate men. Wil¬ 
liams was asked to make a speech. He did, and told what it would mean 
to Florida if the five million acre Everglades were brought under cultiva¬ 
tion. He was requested to make the same speech before the Miami real 
estate firm of Tatem Brothers, next morning at 9:00 o’clock. He did. He 
spoke to a large gathering of Miami real estate men. After the talk Tatem 
Brothers raised the price of land ten dollars per acre. They owned 190,000 
acres. Other realtors followed. Two-thirds of the Everglades were brought 
under cultivation. Land prices rose. The speech was carried in the Miami 
paper, Savannah, Tampa, Atlanta, Baltimore papers, and elsewhere. Flor¬ 
ida land prices rose. The boom was on. 

Mr. Williams put in telephone exchanges at Ashburn, Adel, Boston, 
Marianna, Florida, and remodelled many elsewhere. 

In his wide travels Williams saw many interesting things. Of some of 
these he wrote and his articles were printed in the Tifton Gazette, whose 
editor, Mr. J. L. Herring, was a close friend of Mr. Williams. Williams 
never at any time had a position with the Gazette either as writer or as 
printer. 

About 1930 Mr. Williams decided to have a printing shop of his own. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


291 


In 1936 he began printing the Tifton Free Press, for which he wrote the 
articles. It appeared occasionally. In 1940 he began printing the paper regu¬ 
larly as a weekly and this he continues to do. 

After going out of the telephone business Mr. Williams for a time 
manufactured cross arms, the first manufactured in Georgia. Prior to this, 
manufacture had been in Chattanooga. 

James Luther Williams and Lelia Goff Williams have five children: 
Ralph James, Frederick Claude, Martha Blanch (Mrs. Ashley McLeod), 
J. L. Williams, Jr., Lena Gordon Williams. 


Mrs. Elizabeth Pickard Karsten, author of the pioneers’ biographies in 
this volume, has made distinct contributions to the journalism of this sec¬ 
tion and other places. Her feature stories have appeared in New Rochelle 
News (New YYrk), the New York Herald, New Haven Register, Boston 
Transcript, and several Georgia papers. While staff correspondent for the 
Macon Telegraph, she rendered valuable services to Tift County. Her 
work on the pioneers’ chapters of the History of Tift County is another 
contribution to the county and Tifton. 

Mrs. Karsten did her first historical writing for the Macon Centennial 
Pageant. She has written a biography of Mrs. H. H. Tift and many his¬ 
torical sketches of different places in the United States. She is the author 
of genealogical publications, dramatization, and miscellaneous articles. 

Her advanced training includes courses at Wesleyan College, Abraham 
Baldwin College, Mercer University, and Yale University. She is a 
member of the Macon Writers’ Club (of which she was secretary, treas¬ 
urer, historian, vice-president, and president), and Gun Lake Country 
Club, New Haven Point and Clay, and New Haven Brush and Palette. 
M rs. Karsten is also a member of the R.A.R. and Phi Mu. 

The daughter of William Lowndes Pickard (clergyman and former 
president of Mercer University) and Florence Willingham Pickard (artist 
and painter) Elizabeth Pickard Karsten was born in Louisville, Ken¬ 
tucky. In 1914 she married Paul Daggett Karsten of Macon, Georgia. 
Their children are Paul Daggett, Jr., (married Elizabeth La Field). 
Florence Willingham Karsten (married Robert Clements Carson), and 
Mikell Baynard Karsten. Their son, Billy Karsten died in 1941. 

“Who’s Who in Georgia” and “The Standard Biographical Dictionary 
of Notable Women” have sketches of Mrs. Elizabeth Karsten. 



CHAPTER XXIII 


TIFT COUNTY AGRICULTURE 
by George Harris King 

Different counties are prosperous for various reasons. Tift County is 
prosperous because of its agricultural interests. A progressive group of 
some i,600 farmers produce a number of varied farm products. Within the 
towns of the county are markets and processing plants for these products. 
The industry of Tift County, to a large extent, is based on its agriculture. 
The result is an agricultural market reaching beyond the borders of the 
county and bringing in the products of a large area. The farm products 
sold in Tift County yearly amounts to twice or three times the value of 
the products produced within Tift County. 

The history of agriculture in Tift County is a story of change and 
progress. Originally the area now known as Tift County was settled for 
its wealth of lumber and naval stores, and until about 1910 those indus¬ 
tries absorbed the attention of the inhabitants. The change from a timber 
economy to one of agriculture occurred about the same time as the forma¬ 
tion of Tift County in 1905. 

Fortunately for the inhabitants of Tift County the removal of the tim¬ 
ber disclosed a responsive agricultural soil adapted to a number of agricul¬ 
tural enterprises. As the adaptability of the soil became known, there was 
a migration of farmers from other sections of Georgia seeking fresh agricul¬ 
tural lands. This brief history must of necessity deal with trends rather 
than personalities. Few narnes and few concerns will be mentioned. It is 
sufficient to emphasize the fact that the progress of Tift County was due 
not only to the adaptability of its soil, but also to the initiative and courage 
of its pioneer farmers. 

A Bureau of Soils bulletin written in 1909 saw at this early period the 
possibilities of the Tifton Sandy Loam Soil which makes up the greater 
part of the county “Cotton, corn, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, peanuts, 
sugar cane, tree and small fruits, pecans, vegetables, and, in fact, all of 
the crops grown in the county do well on this soil.” 

Changes which have taken place over the years may be noted by quoting 
from this report made in 1909: 

“Good farming land 5 miles from town selling for $15.00 to $30.00 per 
acre.” 

“Corn and cotton are the principal crops.” 

“The favorable soil and climate, the splendid markets and the ease with 


292 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


293 


which pests and diseases can be controlled . . . are abundant reasons why the 
peach growing industry should be given a thorough trial/’ 

“Livestock raising in this area is profitable and should be given more 
attention. At present, practically all of the livestock run loose in the swamps 
and pine woods and get their living as best they can.” 

“The use of improved machinery is strongly advised. The character of 
the soils and the smooth topography are both suited to it.” 

Some changes not even predicted in 1909 have taken place over the 
years. Flue-cured tobacco was first grown on a commercial scale in Tift by 
Irvine Myers in 1917 although Captain H. H. Tift had tried some to¬ 
bacco along with his other agricultural experiments at an earlier date. By 
1919 there were 615 acres of tobacco grown in the county. Twenty years 
later the golden weed was being grown on 4,696 acres. Tifton had de¬ 
veloped into one of the leading markets of the State and held first place 
for a number of years. 

The first vegetable plants grown for commercial shipment were produced 
by Myers Brothers about 1907 when they shipped small amounts of cab¬ 
bage and sweet potato plants. P. D. Fulwood, Sr., started growing cabbage 
plants in 1909 and tomato plants in 1912. He is regarded as the first to 
grow plants on a real commercial scale in this area. From this beginning has 
grown an industry involving thousands of acres and hundreds of thousands 
of dollars. 

In 1909 the peanut was looked upon as good hog feed although “one 
concern is preparing to grow peanuts on a commercial scale.” In 1923, only 
670 acres were dug. In 1940 peanuts were harvested from 8,000 acres. 
During World War II, the Government stimulated the production of 
peanuts and in 1946 peanuts were dug from 18,000 acres. 

The preceding three enterprises (tobacco, plants, and peanuts), have 
possibly brought the greatest changes in land use in Tift County, and, yet, 
these crops were hardly recognized 40 years ago. With these new enter¬ 
prises in mind, let us contrast the agriculture of 1947 with that pictured 
in 1909. 

Where good farm land 5 miles from town sold for $15.00 to $30.00, 
today it sells from $75.00 to $150.00 per acre. 

In 1909 corn and cotton were the principal crops. In 1940 only 9*629 
acres of cotton were grown and by 1944 this dropped to a low of 3,000 
acres which had increased some by 1947- This may be contrasted with an 
acreage of 27,000 acres in 1923. This change to a large measure was 
brought about by the advent of the boll weevil which hit Tift County in 
the middle teens and reached the climax of its damage in 1923* when only 
3*753 bales of cotton were produced on the 27,000 acres planted. This 
forced the producers of cotton to other enterprises, mainly peanuts, tobacco 
and livestock. 



TIFT COUNTY’S DIVERSIFIED AGRICULTURE 
Top row—Interior of one of several meat curing and storage plants at Tif- 
ton. The chant of the auctioneer in one of Tifton’s tobacco sales warehouses. 
Center—Grading and sorting peanuts at a Tifton mill 
Bottom row—Preparing honey for shipment in Tift County piney woods. 
The modern in agriculture—Tift County’s first shipment of vegetable plants 
by air. 








HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


295 


1 here has been little change in corn acreage. The smaller amount need¬ 
ed for diminishing numbers of workstock is offset by the needs of in¬ 
creased numbers of hogs and cattle. 

In 1909 peaches were looked upon as a promising crop but the prevalence 
of the rootknot nematode in the soil brought the realization that this sec¬ 
tion was not an ideal one for this susceptible fruit. At present, there is 
hope that peaches may again be grown on a commercial scale due to newly 
developed chemicals and rotations which check the ravages of the nema¬ 
tode. 

When the 1909 report cited the inferior livestock and the lack of fenc¬ 
ing, we find that by 1940 the livestock situation has shown marked im¬ 
provement. The no-fence law was passed in 1921. Better breeds of live¬ 
stock have been introduced, better managerial practices are followed, pas¬ 
tures have been improved, and feed crops have increased in acreage. So 
promising was the livestock industry that Armour and Company took over 
the packing plant in Tifton in 1919. This plant had been constructed in 
1917. This was closed in about a year on account of lack of livestock, but 
reopened in November, 1935, and has been in constant operation since that 
time. 

The number of beef cattle on the farms at the first of the year more than 
doubled from 1920 to 1940. The number of swine on the farms at the 
same time has increased by 30 per cent. The total value of all livestock and 
livestock products sold in Tift County in 1945 was $549,249.00. 

The increased use of machinery has been almost phenomenal. In 1910 
the value of machinery and implements on Tift County farms was 
$93,735.00. In 1920 this value had risen to $368,819.00, while in 1945 
the farm implements and machinery of Tift County farmers were valued 
at $988,690.00. 266 Tift County farmers operated 315 tractors in 1945 
and 368 farmers were operating 453 trucks. Less than 100 tractors were in 
operation as recently as 1940. 

A glance at the 1945 farm income figures tells the story of farm pros¬ 


perity : 

Crop Sales_$3*075,832 

Fruits and Nuts Sales--- 79,899 

Vegetable Sales- 44> 2 7° 

Horticultural Specialties- 303,461; 

All Livestock & Livestock Products- 549,294 

Forest Products- 4 2 >439 

Farm Products Used on Farm-- 701,632 


Total _$4,796,827 

Average value per farm-----$ 2,872 












296 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


The above figures are taken from the 1945 census and possibly ,do not 
include the full value received from the sale of vegetable plants. 

The farm population of Tift County is stable. For the most part, the 
farming is done by white farmers. Of the 1,683 farms in the County, 1,345 
are operated by white families. The number of farms in the County has 
varied some with the economic conditions. The following table shows the 
number of farms for census years: 

Year Number of Farms 

1910 1142 

1920 1360 

1930 1398 

1940 1344 

1945 1683 

Over half of the farm operators are tenants. The following table shows 
the percentage of tenants for census years: 

Year Per Cent of Tenants 

1910 57% 

1920 60% 

1930 70% 

1940 56% 

1945 59 % 

The work of professionals in agriculture has always been sponsored by 
Tift County. Two years after its organization, Tift County secured the 
Second District A. and M. School by donation of land and public sub¬ 
scription. This school, after some changes, is now Abraham Baldwin Agri¬ 
cultural College. In 1919, through the same method, Tift County was 
selected as the site of the Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station. The 
Smith-Lever Bill providing for county agents was passed, and Tift Coun¬ 
ty secured its first county agent and its first home demonstration agent 
shortly after this time. Tifton High School has a teacher of Vocational 
Agriculture and two teachers of Home Economics under the Smith- 
Hughes Law. These are agencies requiring expense on the part of the 
County. Those agencies, purely Federal, have received the support of the 
farmers of the County and the County has benefited through its coopera¬ 
tion with the Soil Conservation Service, Farm Home Administration and 
the Production Marketing Administration. 

Tift County, because of its soil and climate, is agriculturally blessed. 
From a land of timber it has developed into an agricultural section, grow¬ 
ing enterprises of enough diversity to insure a prosperous agriculture. Its 
people have proved themselves progressive by adapting themselves to a 
changing agriculture. Its agricultural history is something of which we 
may all be proud; its agricultural future is something to which we may 
look with confidence. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


297 


TOBACCO IN TIFT COUNTY 

by E. Pickard 

Georgia’s earliest tobacco-growing project was during her colonial days. 
Near the coast a small town built around the culture and sale of tobacco 
became a flourishing little trade center. Tobacco was its life; but the 
town, which had little other than tobacco, died and became one of Geor¬ 
gia’s ghost towns. Few people know that it ever existed. 

It appears that after the above mentioned project, what is now Tift 
County was the next place where tobacco was grown for market, though 
many old gardens contained a few plants for the personal supply of their 
owners. In 1892, H. H. Tift grew tobacco in what was then Berrien but 
is now Tift County. He was interested in seeing what crops could be suc¬ 
cessfully grown in this section of the state, and he grew the tobacco experi¬ 
mentally. The Tifton Gazette in 1892 carried in one of its issues the fol¬ 
lowing item: “Growing tobacco bids to become an important industry in 
this section.” 

The Tifton Gazette of February 12, 1892 stated: “The officers of the 
Snow Modern Tobacco Company, President D. A. Walters, of Philadel- 
ph’a, Secretary, D. G. Bevenish, of Oxford, North Carolina, and W. H. 
Snow, general manager, spent several days in Tifton prospecting for a 
location for a Georgia branch of their company. All expressed themselves 
as delighted with the possibilities of tobacco growing here.” 

Burwell Greene was in charge of H. H. Tift’s several farms and was 
in charge of that early tobacco experiment. Men came down from North 
Carolina to do the curing. It was flue-cured and the old tobacco barns 
used at that time stood on the Experiment Station land, then owned by 
H. H. Tift, until a few years ago. Satisfied that tobacco could be success¬ 
fully grown here, Captain Tift abandoned the project in favor of others 
in which he was more interested. 

In 1893 Tift City Council placed a high tax on the sale of cigarettes in 
Tifton, but repealed the ordinance on February 5, 1894. 

A preacher came from North Carolina to Douglas and there began cul¬ 
tivating tobacco. 

About 1916 the A. B. and A. railroad began promoting the culture of 
tobacco. W. W. Croxton, general passenger agent for the road, was in 
charge of the movement, and the tobacco was sold at Timmonsville, South 
Carolina. 

About the same time, the Central of Georgia hired Jim Winslow to pro¬ 
mote the tobacco growing industry in Alabama and Georgia. The South¬ 
ern also had a similar program. 

The production of bright leaf in Georgia in 1917 was less than half a 
million pounds. It was not until the boll weevil infested the Sea Island 




Scenes in Tift County 

















HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


299 


cotton area of this section that Tift County again turned to the growing 
of tobacco. Tobacco production in Georgia exceeded three million pounds, 
in 1918. Tobacco was grown in Tift County in 1918. That year I. W. 
Myers had fourteen acres in tobacco which brought him about $5,000.00. 
Others grew it here that year, also. In 1918 there was only a part time 
tobacco market in Tifton. In December, 1918 J. J. Taylor and N. C. 
Taylor, brothers, tobacco experts were in this vicinity promoting tobacco 
growing. 

In 1918 tobacco was sold at Ashburn in the morning and at Tifton in 
the afternoon, or it was sold at Ashburn one day and at Tifton the next. 
At Tifton it was marketed at the old Cotton compress, by Fenner. In 1919 
the warehouse was renovated to become a regular tobacco warehouse and 
to 1922 it continued to be operated as Fenner’s Warehouse. In 1922 it 
was operated by W. E. Fenner. 

In 1922 the first brick warehouse was built, the south building of what 
is now Twin Brick. In 1923 Fenner’s name changed to Banner Warehouse 
and operated under its present management. In 1925 the New Brick 
Warehouse—the north half of what is now Twin Brick—was built. In 
1928 the Banner and New Brick’s names were changed to Twin Brick, 
which was built by the Tifton Investment Company. 

In 1920 the Imperial Tobacco Company of Great Britain began opera¬ 
tion in Tifton, where Sam Lassiter was in charge of the company. He has 
been its only resident manager from then until now. Not only has he 
handled the affairs of the company capably but he has also taken a promi¬ 
nent part in other affairs of the community. For a number of years he 
headed the Tifton City Council; he was head of the Tifton Board of 
Trade; was president of the Tifton Rotary Club; is a steward of the Tif¬ 
ton Methodist Church; during World War II he was Tift County Chair¬ 
man of the American Red Cross. 

In 1921, Dr. Silas Starr, head of the Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment 
Station, announced that the Station had been chosen as the location of the 
United States office of tobacco investigation. 

On Thursday, August 2, 1923, Tifton and Tift County Tobacco Boost¬ 
ers, 140 strong, in 30 cars, toured the tobacco growing section making an 
190-mile trip to boost Tifton as a tobacco market. First stop was Lenox. 
Thence the motorcade went to Adel, Cecil, Hahira, and to Valdosta. 

At the Experiment Station the most complete experiments made were 
in tobacco. Work in this began just about the time the crop began to be 
grown in this section and the work of the station was of inestimable value 
to the growers. J. C. Hart was in charge of tobacco work at the station 
until 1925, when he went to Brazil. Next came J. M. Carr, from Vir¬ 
ginia. R. C. Thomas experimented at the Station with diseases of tobacco. 


300 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


J. G. Gaines later made valuable discoveries for control of blue mold and 
root knot. 

Tifton-sold tobacco is not tied. Once there was a great stir about the 
necessity of tying. It was tied for a few days. The practice was not popular 
with the growers, and the matter was dropped. It continues to be sold 
untied. 

In 1926 Tifton ranked fourth in the state in tobacco sales. First place 
was held by Douglas; Blackshear was second; Nashville was third. That 
year Tifton’s first hand sales were 3,987,598 pounds, at $22.66 average, 
for $903,759.75. 

That year was organized the Tifton Tobacco Board of Trade, on Mon¬ 
day night, August 2. Sam Lassiter was chosen president, J. L. Bowen 
(treasurer of the Tifton Investment Company), was chosen vice-president; 
J. P. Culpepper was secretary and treasurer. 

The September 3, 1926 issue of the Tifton Gazette was a Tobacco Edi¬ 
tion. In it appeared an article on tobacco by H. H. Tift, Jr. 

In 1927 Tifton leaped into rank of a million dollar sales market. 

In 1928 Farmer’s Warehouse was built. 

In 1931 Tifton sold 8,280,076 pounds. Valdosta came next with 7,114,- 
453. Moultrie had third place. However, that year the leaf brought the 
lowest price brought by Georgia tobacco since the establishment of the 
Georgia market. Nevertheless that year Tifton took the lead among the 
markets of the state, and with brief exception has continued to hold first 
place 

In 1932 Tifton headed the state with 2,168,386 pounds sold. Valdosta 
was second; Moultrie third. However, Tifton’s average that year was in 
third place, at $11.23. Nevertheless, the state average that year was even 
lower: $10.41. Adel led in average. 

In 1933 Tifton sold 9,178,398 pounds, which brought $1,115,000.00, at 
average $12.16 per 100 pounds. It led in average as well as in poundage. 

That year, 1933, Tifton had the two Georgia warehouses leading in 
total tobacco sales for the 1933 season—the only Georgia warehouses sell¬ 
ing more than three million pounds each that season. Farmers’ Ware¬ 
house, managed by A. W. Jeffreys, led the state, with total of 3,235,016 
pounds, averaging $12.76. Twin Brick, managed by W. H. Winstead, was 
second, in the state, with 3,192,338 pounds, at $11.80 average. Fenners, 
managed by C. G. Weathersby, was fourth in the state. 

In September, 1933, at the Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station, 
county agents and growers met to plan a reduction of tobacco acreage. 

Blue mold first appeared in the flue-cured tobacco belt in 1931. In 1932 
and 1937 the disease was severe. 

The Triple A program for tobacco began in 1933. Excepting 1937, this 
has continued. That same year Washington placed a processing tax on 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


301 


tobacco, thus placing it with cotton and wheat as to this measure. 

In the spring of 1934 the Georgia Flue-cured Tobacco Growers Asso¬ 
ciation was formed, at Tifton. Judge J. F. McCrackin, of Valdosta, was 
president. J. C. Lanier spoke. The second meeting was held in Tifton 
May 2, 1935. E. P. Bowen, Jr., was invited to address the meeting. 

In J 935 United States sale of tobacco was cut by the largeness of the 
Chinese tobacco sales of that year. 

In 1936 Tifton sales exceeded that of 1935. In 1937, despite unfavor¬ 
able weather conditions, sales were good but did not reach 1935’s record; 
for blue mold took its toll. 

In 1935 the new Banner warehouse was built South of the A. B. and C. 
depot. In 1936 Fenners’ No. 2 was built. It was destroyed by fire that fall 
but was rebuilt in 1937. This brought the number of Tifton tobacco ware¬ 
houses to six. 

1935 and 1936 were high years for the Tifton market. 

With brief exception Tifton has led the state in poundage and in price 
since 1931. However, in 1945 she dropped from first place. Perhaps it was 
because her volume in other agricultural crops is constantly increasing, and 
the big warehouses are often filled with other plants that are shipped in 
vast quantities and over a wide area. 

The result of the 1947 season is not yet known. The market opened 
July 24, and the big warehouses, as usual, were crowded with tobacco and 
with people, and the leaf today brought a high price. The huge warehouses 
have long rows of neatly stacked fragrant leaf, placed in flat baskets. The 
crowd of country people are picturesque and colorful in their bright colored 
clothing, a contrast to the saneness of the tan of the leaf. The melodious 
chant, or the unintelligible jargon of the auctioneer, drawing after him, 
like iron to magnet, the long line of buyers, and lookers-on, draws and 
holds the attention of all. It is almost as though one were under a spell— 
the spell of the fragrance of the tobacco, the humming drone of the voice— 
the sultriness of the air. It is the spell of the tobacco season. 

The town will be flooded with out-of-town buyers, whose money will 
support the town for many months. The town also will be flooded with 
crooks and thieves, come to steal or swindle from the unwary; and in the 
hottest time of the year it is necessary to be constantly vigilant against 
prowlers. Young and old will dance at the tobacco ball, the Tobacco Queen 
will be crowned, the Chamber of Commerce will give away valuable prizes. 

The town will be gay, and happy and tired, and thankful for the money 
earned; but it will really have earned it, and in the hard way. 


302 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


MRS. PAUL FULWOOD, SR. 

Ida Belle Williams 

Mrs. Paul Dearing Fulwood, Sr., daughter of Mr. E. L. and Mary 
Etta Goodman Vickers was born in Tifton, Georgia, on March 3, 1892. 
She received her education at Tifton High School and Wesleyan College. 

In 1910 she married Paul Dearing Fulwood, Sr., who the year before 
had begun experimenting in raising plants near what is now the airport 
in Tifton. For a while Mr. and Mrs. Fulwood lived in Tifton, but later 
they and the children, Paul and Ruth, moved to a crude little house in the 
woods, where the plants were growing. 

It was not long, however, before Mrs. Fulwood wfith her artistic taste 
transformed the shack into an attractive home. She made curtains of seed 
bags, had the walls and exterior of the house painted, and planted radiance 
roses and other flowers in the well-kept yard. (Some of the same rose 
bushes are now growing in her garden in Tifton.) Morning-glories shaded 
her front porch, and two enormous cabbage plants growing in kegs on 
either side of her front steps attracted much attention. Since there was 
not enough room for the company bed and there were no day beds., then, 
Mrs. Fulwood cleverly improvised a drawer in the loft, where the extra 
bed stayed when not in use. 

From this humble beginning of planting roses to beautifying a rustic 
cottage, Mrs. Fulwood has achieved national distinction as an authority 
in rose culture. She accepted invitations to speak about roses at the con¬ 
vention of the American Rose Society, at the Potomac Rose Society, Wash¬ 
ington, District of Columbia, at the American Rose Society in Knoxville, 
Tennessee, and in Columbus, Ohio. Mrs. Fulwood has written magazine 
articles about roses. She is a member of the advisory board of the American 
Rose Society, representing the Southeastern section. Besides being presi¬ 
dent of the Tifton Garden Club, she served for two terms as president of 
the Georgia Rose Society. 

Her home with its attractive gardens on Twelfth Street in Tifton is 
one of the beauty spots of South Georgia. Mrs. Fulwood has thousands of 
rare specimens of roses. Among the number are exotic rose trees. Her 
talent for beautifying does not end at her home; her floral contributions are 
obvious on the hospital grounds, at Fulwood Park, and at the cemetery. 

Mrs. Fulwood has contributed to the progress of Tifton in many other 
ways besides beautification. She was the first woman in Georgia to be 
president of a board of trade and probably the first one in the world. She 
was elected president of the Tifton Board of Trade in 1931. Mrs. Fulwood 
organized the first presidents’ club in Georgia and the first P.-T. A. Coun¬ 
cil in Tifton. She directed at Abraham Baldwin College a rose school, 
which others in different sections of the county copied. During the time 
she was president of the Board of Trade, Mrs. Fulw^ood directed a spec- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


303 


tacular pageant, to help cotton industry and made other effective contribu¬ 
tions to the development of Tifton. 

Governor Richard B. Russell, Junior, appointed Mrs. Fulwod a member 
of the Georgia Committee to advertise the state and arrange for an exhibit 
at the World’s Fair in Chicago. She was also appointed on a similar com¬ 
mittee for the World’s Fair in New York. 

In addition to her material contributions she is a vital force in the 
spiritual welfare of her native town. For many years Mrs. Fulwood has 
taught a Sunday School class at the Tifton Methodist Church and served 
in other religious organizations. 


PAUL DEARING FULWOOD, SR. 

Ida Belle Williams 

The name, Paul Dearing Fulwood, Sr., connotes plant development in 
Tifton. When a boy Paul ran away from home to escape being a machinist, 
the choice of his father, C. A. Fulwood. At Fort Myers, Florida, young 
Fulwood worked with a man in the tomato plant industry. Deciding to 
become a planter himself, the boy returned to Tifton in 1909 and began 
raising plants near what is now the airport. The first year he planted 
thirty-five pounds of cabbage, nine pounds of tomatoes and bedded three- 
hundred-fifty pounds of potatoes. 

After experimenting a while, young Fulwood went to the University 
of Georgia to study agriculture. 

In 1910 he married Miss Ruth Vickers, and they lived in Tifton for a 
while, but later moved to the farm. There were few conveniences in the 
rustic cottage, but determined to have a telephone, he and his wife while 
standing in a wagon put up the wires. 

The evolution of sales is interesting. During the first year people came 
to Mr. Fulwood to buy plants. His advertisements were placards on trees. 
The next step was to deposit his plants in stores, where sales would be 
easier. Then people living in different directions ordered tomato, cabbage, 
sweet potato, and onion plants. The idea of shipping dawned and Fulwood 
was the first person in this section to ship plants. His next progress was 
his connection with Massingale Advertising Agency. From the modest 
leaflet and pamphlet to the artistic pictorial calendar, the advertising pro¬ 
gram has grown. Now beet, onion, cabbage, potato, pepper, broccoli, to¬ 
mato, lettuce and brussel sprout seedlings are shipped. 

Although one of the busiest men in the state, Mr. Fulwood observes 
vacation time by enjoying his hobbies, boating and swimming. 

His versatility is further shown in his religious work. For twelve years 
Mr. Fulwood was superintendent of the Tifton Methodist Sunday School. 
He is also one of the county commissioners. 




BL 


jl Wdfk K i/Wj 

v- ■■ -, -• : V > y : . 1 • /CV, - 

Jfig* -1 

K. 4pJ^| j 

1 -ST ' ^ r ^ ik £ A* - 


Scenes on Farms in Trft County 







HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


305 


Tomato plants used to lead the sales; however, in 1946 the Fulwood 
Company shipped 120,000,000 plants which grew from five thousand 
pounds of bedded potatoes, twelve thousand pounds of cabbage seed, 
twenty-seven-five hundred pounds of onion seed, and three thousand pounds 
of tomato seed. These plants are shipped in wet moss to practically every 
state in the country and to Hawaii. Such companies as Campbell Soup and 
Stokeley-Van Camp learned that Fulw^ood’s seedlings grown in a field were 
stronger than those grown under glass. Campbell Company buys 80,000,000 
tomato plants a year. 

Mr. Fulwood’s son, Paul Dearing, Junior, general manager of the com¬ 
pany, and ex-student of plant pathology at the University of Georgia, 
Howard Davis, and Baldwin Davis, Sr. (deceased), contributed much to 
the plant industry in Tift County. The Davises were the machinists of the 
company. Paul while studying at the University of Georgia proved in his 
thesis that plant diseases come through the seed. He is responsible for cer¬ 
tified seed in this section. 

Hail and freezes used to cause Mr. Fulwood to lose thousands of dollars 
until he learned to replant soon after a loss. 

The Fulwood farms cover about eighteen hundred acres of land, eight 
hundred of which have irrigation. The packing plant containing 45,000 
square feet of floor space, is probably the largest packing house for vege¬ 
tables in the world. This industry, one of the largest in the country, pays 
plant pullers as much as twenty-eight dollars a day; the first year this 
labor brought seventy-five cents a day. 


CHAPTER XXIV 
INDUSTRIES 


THE SOUTHERN COTTON OIL COMPANY 

The Southern Cotton Oil Company was organized in 1912 as the 
Planters’ Cotton Oil Company. H. H. Tift was the first president; J. H. 
White, first manager. At first it was operated by local stockholders— 
among the number were W. W. Banks, E. P. Bowen, Sr., and H. H. Tift. 
The mill was sold in 1930 to the International Oil Company, which also 
operated mills in the Philippine Islands. At this time the mill was partly 
financed by a Boston Bank. 

In 1936 the organization was sold to the Southern Cotton Oil Company. 
This mill has one of the largest cotton seed crushers in the country. From 
1936 to 1941 the mill was operated only as an oil mill; in 1941 the com¬ 
pany put in a peanut shelling plant. 

The Southern Cotton Oil Company is owned and controlled by South¬ 
erners from New Orleans, Louisiana. R. A. Kelly has been manager of 
the company since 1930. 


ARMOUR ENTERS TIFTON TERRITORY 

Co-incident with the first world war and the food and commodity prob¬ 
lems which accompanied it, Southern farmers adopted a program of diver¬ 
sification in which livestock naturally played an important role. Noting 
the considerable increase in the number of cattle and hogs being raised on 
Southern lands, Armour and Company looked about for a way to assist in 
the diversification movement by improving the marketing outlets for south¬ 
ern livestock growers. When a packing plant at Tifton was offered to the 
company at a reasonable price Armour bought it and thus became identi¬ 
fied with the livestock business in the southeast. 

The Tifton Packing Company, financed largely by South Georgia farm¬ 
ers, had been in operation a year or two before Armour came into the ter¬ 
ritory. It seems probable that the promoters had under-estimated the im¬ 
portance of experienced management and established outlets to the retail 
trade, and in consequence the plant was not doing well financially despite 
satisfactory supplies of livestock in the Tifton territory. 

Immediately following purchase of the plant, Armour took possession and 
on June 30, 1919 began operating it. The plant is equipped to handle the 
slaughter of cattle, hogs, sheep and calves and to process those cuts which 
require curing, smoking, rendering or other processing. The plant also 
operates a sausage kitchen. 


306 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


307 


Full operation of the Tifton plant calls for the employment of about 250 
people. When livestock receipts are heavy, employment runs a little higher 
and in times of scarcity employment drops somewhat. 

In the depression period which followed several years after the ending 
of the first world war the livestock movement in the south suffered tem¬ 
porary relapse and in 1923 the plant had to be closed, primarily for lack 
of raw materials. By 1935 the pendulum had swung in the opposite direc¬ 
tion and November 4, 1935 the plant was reopened and has been in 
operation continuously since. 

The plant draws its raw material supplies largely from Southern Geor¬ 
gia though it occasionally gets livestock from Northern Florida and from 
Alabama. Most of the products from the plant are sold in Armour and 
Company’s branch houses located throughout the southeastern part of the 
country. 


HISTORY OF TIFTON COTTON MILLS 
by L. E. Bowen 

The Tifton Cotton Mill is by far the oldest manufacturing establishment 
in Tifton. The Corporation was formed in March, 1900, and began opera¬ 
tion in early 1901. It has manufactured carded cotton yarns throughout its 
entire history. 

The first Board of Directors was composed of the following members: 
H. H. Tift, E. P. Bowen, W. S. Whitham, S. M. Clyatt, C. W. Ful- 
wood and L. G. Manard. Capt. H. H. Tift was the first president and 
served in that capacity until his death in 1922. Among other Tift County 
pioneers whose names have appeared in the records as Directors are: J. H. 
Hillhouse, W. W. Bank, Briggs Carson, A. B. Hollingsworth, T. A. 
Shipp, Jr., T. B. Puckett, N. P. Pinkston, C. R. Choate, R. W. Good¬ 
man. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer were filled during the first 
twenty-five years by L. G. Manard, T. B. Puckett, N. D. Pinkston and 
R. W. Goodman; those filling the position of Plant Superintendent during 
the same years were: T. A. Shipp, Jr., W. R. Reed, and W. R. Neighbors. 

The plant has been enlarged in three separate expansions from 3,584 
spindles to the present 10,000 spindles. The mill buildings have been en¬ 
larged each time. The Village has increased over the years from twenty- 
five houses, originally, to eighty-one. 

The name of Tift was closely identified with the corporation from its 
beginning to 1928, at which time it was purchased outright by E. P. Bowen, 
S'r., and his sons, E. P. Bowen, Jr., and L. E. Bowen. The Bowen interests 
are now its operators. Immediately following the death of H. H. Tift, 
Sr., his son became president and he was succeeded as president in 1924 



m 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


by H. H. Tift, Jr., who served until the Bowen interest took over. E. P. 
Bowen, Sr., was a member of the Board of Directors from the beginning 
in 1900 until his retirement in 1934. He was president at the time of 
his retirement. Today E. P. Bowen, Jr., is President, L. E. Bowen is Sec¬ 
retary and Treasurer and General Manager, L. E. Bowen, Jr., Assistant 
Manager, J. H,. Wideman, Jr., assistant secretary, and T. B. Reynolds, 
superintendent. 

The Tifton Cotton Mill, through its payroll, has contributed materially 
to the growth and progress of Tifton and Tift County throughout its en¬ 
tire existence of forty-six years. Today it regularly employs 350 to 400 
people, operates three 40-hcur shifts, has one of the largest payrolls in 
this section of the state, and consumes about 10,000 bales of cotton an¬ 
nually. 


TIFTON COCA-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY 
(Copied from Tifton Gazette) 

In March 1900, Mr. Holmes became connected with the Tifton Bot¬ 
tling works, which then was located in the John Murrow building on 
Railroad Street. The company later moved to Main Street between Third 
and Fifth Streets, and in June, 1906, moved to the corner of Third and 
Railroad Streets. Here the bottling works remained until the new build¬ 
ing of the Tifton Coca-Cola Bottling Company was constructed at the 
corner of Love Avenue and Tenth Street, and the company occupied the 

new building in April 1937. When Coca-Cola first came out, the Tifton 
Bottling Works manufactured the beverage and was one of the first to 
do so in this section. 

Mr. Holmes was a pioneer in the soft drink business in this section and 
the progress of that business advanced under his leadership. He was en¬ 
gaged in the business from the time the old Hutchinson, or rubber, bottle 
stopper was used until this day of modern machinery and bottle caps. In 
1903 he originated the famous Red Race Ginger-Ale and had the drink 
copyrighted in 1905. Mr. Holmes was also agent for the Standard Oil 
Company in this section for twenty years. He retired from active business 
in 1943 because of ill health. 



CHAPTER XXV 

MISCELLANEOUS PART I 


FACTS COMPILED BY THE 
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

Tifton, the county seat of Tift County, is located in the central portion 
of South Georgia and is about 195 miles South of Atlanta and 150 miles 
northwest of Jacksonville. Tift county is in the heart of the Coastal Plain 
area of South Georgia. Tifton is now the center of a thriving agricultural 
and trade area. 

The city of Tifton has an area of 2.75 square miles or 1,776 acres. Tift 
County has an area of 243 square miles or 165,057 acres. The altitude is 
350 feet above sea level. Annual mean temperature average 67 degrees. 
The average yearly rainfall is 48 inches. 

The 1946 population of Tifton, including suburbs, is estimated at 
10,000. Tift County 1946 estimated population 20,000. The form of gov¬ 
ernment is commission-manager. 

The city tax rate is 2.3 mills, based on fifty per cent valuation; total 
assessment 1946, $4,952,744. Public utilities—valuation, $1,200,000 ap¬ 
proximate. The county tax rate is forty mills based on 40 per cent valua¬ 
tion. Total assessment 1946, listing homestead exemptions, $4,586,277. 

Tifton has three schools—grammar, junior high and high school—with 
competent corps of 53 instructors, practically all of whom have degrees 
and some with the master’s degree. The full enrollment reached 2,000 
students. This overflow of pupils has made necessary a four-room addition 
at the grammar school. The system ranks high among the school systems 
of Georgia and has won the district and state banners in educational con¬ 
test. Many Tifton High graduates have been at the top in college work and 
have achieved distinction in different professions and trades. Music, speech, 
vocational work, including commercial courses, and physical training sup¬ 
plement the regular literary courses. Tifton High School Band and Blue 
Devils (football team) have won state-wide acclaim. 

Tift county schools include eight modern school plants, conveniently 
located on public highways and railroads, provided with modern physical 
equipment and served by eighteen modern school busses. Tift County has 
seventy-seven white teachers with an enrollment in excess of 2,200 pupils, 
of whom about one-third attend the city schools. There are thirty-five 
colored teachers with an enrollment of over 1,100 pupils. Students com¬ 
pleting grade school in the county are brought to Tifton to complete their 
high school education. 

The Tift County Board of Education employs and offers the following 
services in addition to regular class room instruction: one librarian and 


309 



310 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


bookmobile; one home demonstration agent; three teachers of vocational 
agriculture; three homemaking teachers; two instructors for veterans farm 
training program; one visiting teacher; one white supervisor and one 
colored supervisor. 

Tifton has the following: one golf course; four hotels, Myon, Lankford 
Manor, Wilton, and Colonial; four tourist courts; five schools; one kinder¬ 
garten; one business school; two nursery schools; one college; one library; 
one bookmobile for rural area; three theaters, two white and one colored; 
one band, Tifton High School Band. 

The water comes from deep wells. 

Tift County —Tift County is in many respects a banner Georgia county. 
Among the thriving and progressing towns in the county are: Omega, Ty 
Ty, Chula, Eldorado, Brookfield, Harding and Dosia. 

Tift County soil is generally of the Tifton sand loam type, productive, 
well drained and adapted to the cultivation of a wide variety of farm com¬ 
modities, together with dairy, swine and beef production. There is a State 
Farmers’ Market located at Tifton which handles produce for this area 
and there are cotton gins, cotton warehouses, tobacco warehouses, peanut 
shelling plants, cotton seed and peanut oil plants and frozen food lockers. 

An illustrated pamphlet represents a modest effort to briefly portray 
some of the advantages and assets of the Tifton area. Much of importance 
—and pictures of interest—could not be included. A visit will mean more 
to you. 

Occupations —The main occupations of Tifton and Tift County people, 
in the order of their importance, are: diversified agriculture, merchandis¬ 
ing, manufacturing and producing forestry products, including turpentine, 
lumber, rosin and pulp wood. 

Agriculture —Because of soil advantages, Tift County claims to be the 
most diversified farming section of the South and the plant producing cen¬ 
ter of the United States. 

The principal crops are: Plants, tobacco, peanuts, cotton, pecans, corn, 
potatoes, hay, sugar cane, livestock, poultry, bees and milk products. Truck 
crops produced include: watermelons, cantaloupes, tomatoes and other 
vegetables. 

The following are the figures for produce handled at Tifton in 1945: 


Peanuts -—--$ 3,292,000.00 

Naval Stores_ 867,547.29 

Pecans-_- 330,158.50 

Cotton and Cotton Seed_ 223,750.00 

Plants - 4,750,000.00 

Bees and Honey- 50,000.00 

Tobacco - 3,915,530.91 

Livestock - 3,750,000.00 










HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


311 


Produce (including watermelons, cantaloupes and potatoes) 1,000,000.00 


$18,178,986.70 

Tifton is famous for its tobacco sales through its five large warehouses. 
The figures for the 1946 sale are as follows: 10,817,178 pounds sold with a 
return of $4,331,419.82. 

Armour and Company operates a packing plant in Tifton with several 
hundred employees. This provides a good local market for livestock and 
hogs and the packing plant cooperates with the farmers in their production 
problems. 

Tifton is famous for its shipments of tomato, potato, cabbage, pepper 
and other plants and its bee industry. Plants are frequently transported by 
airplane to northern states. Queen bees and hives are shipped all over the 
United States. The growing of gladioli bulbs and flowers is becoming an 
important industry. 

Recreation —In the Tifton area one can enjoy golfing, swimming, fish¬ 
ing, hunting, dancing, ball games and motoring. Fulwood Park, area of 35 
acres, is equipped for picnicking, concerts, etc., and has a wading pool for 
children. Located just a short distance from town is the Tifton Country 
Club and Golf Course. There are three theatres—two white and one 
colored. 

A $150,000.00 Recreation Center has been planned and construction of 
a swimming pool at a cost of $50,000.00 has been authorized. This Recrea¬ 
tion Center, when completed, will have baseball and football fields, tennis 
courts, bowling alleys, swimming pool with bath houses, pavilion, game 
rooms. Construction will begin as soon as building restrictions will permit. 

Tourists —Tifton’s location on U. S. Highway No. 41 and U. S. High¬ 
way No. 319 is the cause of a large tourist trade that has been built up 
during a number of years. This is particularly true of tourists who are 
traveling between Florida and points in the north and west. Four hotels, 
four tourist courts, two theatres, numerous cafes and tourist homes assist 
in supplying the needs of tourists. 

Transportation —Tifton is served by two trunk line railway systems; 
namely, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Southern Railway. The At¬ 
lantic Coast Line now owns and operates the Atlanta, Birmingham and 
Coast Railroad which also serves Tifton. Twenty passenger trains are 
operated in and out of Tifton daily. The average number of freight trains 
is fourteen. Greyhound Bus lines and National Trailways both serve Tif¬ 
ton. Tifton Bus Lines operate buses in Tifton and vicinity. Several freight 
truck lines serve Tifton. Tifton’s municipal airport, located one and one- 
half miles from business section of Tifton, has three paved runways, each 
5,000 feet in length. Dixie Airways supply a complete flying service from 
Tifton. 



312 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Highways: Six paved highways radiate from Tifton, including U. S. 
Highway 41 and U. S. Highway 319. These supply Tift County with good 
roads in all directions. 

Airport: Tifton’s airport, in addition to having a flying service to At¬ 
lanta and by contract to distant points, is also expecting to be placed on the 
route between Atlanta and Jacksonville, via Macon, for a feeder line service. 

Facilities —Electric Power: The Georgia Power Company supplies Tif¬ 
ton with abundant electric power. Included in local power facilities are 
two 110,000 volt lines, one 66,000 volt line, and three 44,000 volt lines, 
drawing energy from hydro-electric plants and steam plants in north and 
middle Georgia and upper Florida. In addition, a contract has been let for 
another plant and power line which will connect with Tifton’s through 
state wide net work of lines. The Georgia Power Company also serves 
some rural areas of Tift County. 

Two REA lines furnish electricity to parts of Tift County. 

Gas: Butane and other forms of stored gas are available. 

Communication —The Southern Bell Telephone and the Western Union 
Telegraph Companies both give continuous service to Tifton residents and 
business places. The telephone company extends rural lines over much of 
the County and it is planned to expand this service. Omega, one of Tift 
County’s smaller cities, has its own independent telephone service, which is 
connected, however, with the Southern Bell system. 

Mail Service —Tifton enjoys excellent mail facilities through regular 
mail trains and by Star Route to and from Thomasville. Over night mail 
service is available to and from Atlanta and Jacksonville via through 
trains. Air mail posted in Tifton in the early afternoon arrives in Washing¬ 
ton, New York and Chicago the following morning. 

Commerce —Tifton has the usual number of retail and wholesale houses, 
service shops, professional offices, etc. Three wholesale grocers and one 
wholesale dry goods company are located in Tifton. All of the leading oil 
distributing companies have agencies here. 

Labor —The Tifton area has available labor, both white and colored, 
skilled and unskilled, male and female. The type of labor in this section 
is quite satisfactory. 

Banking —Tifton and Tift County have four banks, namely: The Bank 
of Tifton, The Farmers Bank and the Citizens Bank (all in Tifton), and 
the Citizens Service Bank in Omega, with combined resources, as of June 
1st, 1946, of $8,958,086.71. Tifton Federal Savings & Loan Association, 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


313 


Tifton Production Credit Association, and other concerns supply capital 
for building and other purposes. 

Manufacturing —Among the successfully operated industries located at 
Tifton are: Armour and Company (packing house), Tifton Cotton Mill, 
Southern Cotton Oil Company, International Minerals & Chemical Corp., 
Columbia Naval Stores, Builders Supply Company, Imperial Tobacco Com¬ 
pany, Tifton Brick Company, Tifton Peanut Company, Quality Concrete 
Products Company, Phillips Milling Company, Short & Paulk Supply 
Company, Tifton Seed Shellers, Tifton Chenille Rug Company, Tifton 
Feed Mill, Cotton Gins, Dairy Products Plants, Bottling Plants, Ice 
Manufacturers, Lumber Yards, Frozen Food Locker Plants, Bee Industry, 
Bulb Industry. 

Good sites, with or without railroad sidings, are available at reasonable 
rates for new industries. 


THE BENCH AND BAR OF TIFT COUNTY 
by Major Steve Mitchell 

It is by no means intended that this outline will give a detailed history 
of the Bench and Bar of Tift County but the author will touch upon such 
high spots as he considers of interest from a historical standpoint, and the 
early recitals of facts w T ill be from hearsay since the author has only a per¬ 
sonal knowledge from the time of his residence in 1913. 

After the establishment of the town of Tifton by Legislative Act of 1890 
when Tifton was a thriving town in the old County of Berrien, there soon 
became by its growing pains a demand for a local tribunal; and in 1902, 
there was established a City Court of Tifton in such Berrien County with 
Judge John Murrow as the presiding Judge. At that time, the Bar of 
Tifton cons'sted of the late C. W. Fulwood, Sr., F. G. Boatwright, C. C. 
“Pomp” Hall, J. J. Murray, J. B. Murrow, James H. Pate and H. S. 
Murray. Shortly thereafter, into the active practice came Robley D. Smith, 
James H. Price, R. E. Dinsmore, J. S. Ridgdill, O. C. Griner and L. P. 
Skeen. The firms of lawyers at that time consisted of Murrow & Pate, 
Fulwood & Murray, and Ridgdill & Griner, and associated with the late 
C. C. “Pomp” Hall, R. Eve. Other early practitioners at Tifton were F. 
S. Harrell; W. J. Wallace, the first Solicitor of the City Court of Tifton; 
Leon Hargraves, a practitioner and also a Clerk of the City of Tifton; J. 
C. Smith, brother of the present William R. Smith, Judge of the Alapaha 
Judicial Circuit; and R. S. Foy, who practiced here before moving to 
Sylvester. 

The growth of the practice of the Bench and Bar was approximately that 
of the thriving village of Tifton as evidenced by the creation of a separate 


214 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


County of Tift by act of the Legislature approved August 17, I9°5- It 
was about such time that Judge John Murrow withdrew as Judge of the 
City Court of Tifton and Judge R. Eve was appointed his successor which 
office he held continuously from that date until he became Judge of the 
Superior Court of the Tifton Judicial Circuit created in the year 1916, 
when James H. Price became Judge of City Court of Tifton which office 
he held until his death, when in 1922, W. B. Bennett, who had moved to 
Tifton after the 1st World War became Judge by appointment of Gover¬ 
nor Clifford Walker and was elected to succeed himself until his death 
about 1925 when Britt W. Davis became Judge of said City Court of 
Tifton and which Court was abolished in the year 1927. 

Steve F. Mitchell came to the Bar in 1913, and for some years was asso¬ 
ciated with Mr. J. S. Ridgdill under firm name of Ridgdill & Mitchell, 
and later with Robert C. Ellis, who had been in practice since about the 
year 1903 under firm name of Ellis, Mitchell & Ellis, engaged principally 
in farm loans general practice and commercial law. L. P. Skeen, along 
about 1910 came to Tifton and was associated in the practice of the late 
C. W. Fulwood until that partnership dissolved and Haines H. Hargett, 
a young graduate of law of the University of North Carolina, became as¬ 
sociated with the late C. W. Fulwood and who later moved to Atlanta and 
was associated with the firm of King and Spaulding, who later as a tax 
expert with Miller and Chevalier of Washington, D. C., later moved back 
to Atlanta where he became associated with the firm of Spaulding, Sibley 
& McDougal; and it was there while engaged in that practice that he died. 
At which time, Rob’t. R. Forrester moved to the County and became asso¬ 
ciated with Mr. C. W. Fulwood. 

At the time of the creation of Tift County, it was in the old Southern 
Circuit and Judges of the Court successively were Augustus H. Hansell, 
Robert G. Mitchell, and shortly after the famous Carter Rawlings Case, 
the Solicitor-General, William E. Thomas, became the Judge of such cir¬ 
cuit by election. Other young attorneys engaged in the practice of Tifton 
were R. L. LeSeur, who for a while was associated with R. D. Smith be¬ 
fore moving to Americus and Sid Toler, W. T. Hargrett, Jr., were at 
times associated with the firm of Fulwood & Fulwood, also Martin Mc¬ 
Ghee was associated with Fulwood & Fulwood. 

For a short term associated with Mr. Roblev D. Smith was Stewart 
Griggs, son of the Congressman, James Griggs of the Second District. Then 
later, C. A. Christian from the Nashville Bar moved to Tifton and be¬ 
came associated two or three years with R. D. Smith; and later, Earl 
Smith, a recent graduate of Emory became associated with R. D. Smith 
until he moved away and became affiliated with the F.B.I. After the dis¬ 
solution of the partnership of Fulwood & Forrester, John G. Fulwood, a 
graduate of Emory University, became associated with his father and was 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


315 


with him until the death of his father about the year 1928. At the dissolu¬ 
tion of the firm of Smith & Christian, Mr. John T. Ferguson, recently 
graduated from Mercer University, became associated with R. D. Smith 
for a year or two; and about that time, Briggs Carson, Jr., after standing 
the Bar Examination entered the practice of Tifton. It is by no means 
amiss that John Henry Poole after practicing some years at Albany, Geor¬ 
gia, has been a member of the Bar of Tift County for some 25 or 26 years. 
Judge R. Eve is the present Judge of the Tifton Judicial Circuit since its 
creation and the membership of the Bar now consists in the order of their 
length of residence the following members: Robley D. Smith, Steve F. 
Mitchell, John Henry Poole, C. A. Christian, Rob’t R. Forrester, John G. 
Fulwood, John T. Ferguson, Briggs Carson, Jr., Britt W. Davis, and A. 
L. Kelly, Jr., who has recently since the second World War moved to Tif¬ 
ton where he was for a short time associated with R. D. Smith. 

At all times, both Bench and Bar of Tift County have kept high the 
canons of ethics and generally have brought credit upon the profession out 
of the common knowledge among the Bar, not only of this County but the 
Tifton Judicial Circuit that of adjoining circuits, and that the Tift County 
Bar have in the practice of their profession handling the many matters 
pertaining to the profession ; and many times by oral agreement and there¬ 
by have facilitated the administration of justice to an able and high degree, 
and have played no mean part in the material and economic growth of this 
highly developed agricultural and thriving County. 

TIFT COUNTY (Created Aug. 17, 1905) 

TIFT COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES 

E. P. Bowen, 1907-08-08 
William H. Hendricks, 1909-10 
Robert C. Ellis, 1911-12 Ex.-I2 
Robert C. Ellis, 1913-14 
J. H. Young, 1915-15 Ex.-16-17 Ex. 

Robert C. Ellis, 1917-18 
Lennon E. Bowen, 1919-20 
Lennon E. Bowen, 1921-22 
Robert C. Ellis, 1923-23 EX.-24 
Dr. N. Peterson, 1925 
Thurston Ellis Phillips, 1927 
Thurston Ellis Phillips, 1929-31 Ex. 

Thurston E. Phillips, 1931 
Marcus S. Patten, 1933 
Marcus S. Patten, 1935 
John Madison Goff, i 937 " 37 _ 38 K\. 


316 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


George W. Branch, 1939 
George W. Branch, 1941 
George W. Branch, 1943-43 EX.-44 
Ross H. Pittman, 1945 
I. Y. Conger, 1947 

Ex. means an extra session of the Legislature. 


TIFT COUNTY 

Created Aug. 17, 1905 (Constitutional Amendment) 

TIFT COUNTY SENATORIAL DISTRICTS 

Tift County was in the Sixth District, Aug. 18, 1906-Nov. 5, 1918 
(See Acts 1906, p. 80) 

Tift County in Forty-Seventh District, No. 5. 1918 (Created Aug. 17, 
1918; Constitutional Amendment). See Acts 1918, p. 84. 

List of counties comprising the 47th Senatorial Districts are: Colquitt, 
Tift, Turner. 

List of Senators from Tift County: 

6th District 

William S. West, 1905-06 

Jonathan P. Knight, 1907-08-08 Extra 

E. P. Bowen, 1909-10 

T. C. Culbreath, 1911-12 Extra-12 

W. L. Converse, 1913-14 

George A. Paulk, 1915-15 Extra, 16-17 Extra 

William Hartridge Hendricks, M.D., 1917-18 

47th District 

T. H. Parker (died), 1919 

M. M. Kendall, 1920 

Robert Cothran Ellis, 1921-22 

John Henry Adams, 1923-23 Extra, 24 

Robert L. Norman, 1925-26 Extra, 26 2d Extra 

E. P. Bowen, 1927 

Reason Paulk, 1929-31 Extra 

L. L. Moore, 1931 

Mrs. Susie Tillman Moore, 1933 

C. Z. Harden, 1935 

W. A. Sutton, 1937 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


317 


M rs. Susie Tillman Moore, 1939 
E. W. Garner, 1941 

G. W. Newton, 1943-43 Extra-44 Extra 
George W. Branch, 1945-45 Extra-46 
Walter W. Branch, 1947 

Extra means an extra session of the Legislature. 


MAYORS OF TIFTON 

W. H. Love—1891 
C. W. Fulwood—1893 
F. G. Boatright—1896 
C. W. Fulwood— 

W. W. Timmons—1904 
S. M. Clyatt—1907 
W. W. Banks—1908 
W. H. Hendricks—1913 
H. H. Hargrett—1916 

CITY MANAGERS 

W. T. Hargrett 

R. E. Hall, Sr. 
George Coleman 

S. A. Youmans 
Frank Smith 




Top—Scene in Mrs. Pauline Kent’s yard. Amos Tift, son of the founder of 
Tifton 

Center—Home of Mrs. Elizabeth Pickard Karsten, old home of her father; 
where part of the Histoiy of Tift County was written. 

Bottom row—The Tift sawmill, built in 1872 . Mary Carmichael, grand¬ 
daughter of Patrick Thomas Carmichael 









HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


319 


AIRPORT 
by A. B. Phillips 

In February 1941, president of the Tift County Chamber of Com¬ 
merce announced through the secretary, Mr. J. E. Rogers, the following 
airport improvement committee: L. E. Bowen, chairman, E. L. Webb, J. 
C. McNeese, J. E. Newton, Carson Chalk, and A. B. Phillips. At this 
time he urged this committee to break ground for negotiations and seek 
Federal aid for further improvement of the airport. 

Mr. F. H. Brown, vice-president of the G. S. and F. Railway Division 
of Southern Railway was secured for a meeting through the efforts of his 
local representative, Mr. Bob Hargrett. He met with us and outlined a 
procedure for us to follow. This contact proved valuable as Mr. Brown 
made frequent trips to Washington in our behalf. 

Bob Choate, J. L. Bowen, and C. A. Christian made a trip to Wash¬ 
ington in an effort to find out to whom we should apply for other neces¬ 
sary details. These men discussed the matter with Congressman E. E. 
Cox and Senator Walter F. George and their report was not encouraging. 

Mr. B. H. Campbell, assistant airport engineer, CAA, Regional office, 
Atlanta, visited Tifton and suggested that the securing of at least a 
square mile of land be looked into, as runways would have to be at least 
4,200 feet long. 

On June 21 telegrams were received from Senator George and Con¬ 
gressman Cox, advising that Tifton was listed for a survey. Then $8,500 
for airport was raised at a mass meeting. 

The battle raged until December 30, 1941 when the telegram came giv¬ 
ing instructions to get options for survey of proposed sites. 

On January 5, 1942, a telegram from Senator George announced that 
Civil Aeronautic Authority had approved Tifton airport project to the 
amount of $336,039.00. Miss Christine Belle Kennedy rendered valuable 
assistance in getting project for her home town. 

TIFTON CITY MANAGERS 

Thus far there have been only five Tifton City Managers. They are: 

1. Wesley Thomas Hargrett, began office January, 1921; resigned 
October, 1922. 

2. Robert Edward Hall, began office October, 1922; served through 
1932. 

3. George Washington Coleman, began office, January, 1933; resigned 
August^, 1936. 

4. Stephen Alexander Youmans, began office, August 3, 1936; served 
through 1944. 


320 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


5. Frank Henry Smith, began office January, 1945, and is still in office. 

Mr. Ben Golden is treasurer of the City of Tifton. 

For biographical sketch of W. T. Hargrett, see Tift County Pioneers. 

For biographical sketch of R. E. Hall, see Tift County Pioneers. 

Sketches of other City Managers follow: 

Stephen Alexander Y oumans—by E. Pickard 

Stephen Alexander Youmans, eldest of twelve children of Elbert Ed¬ 
mund Youmans and Mary Elizabeth O’Quinn Youmans, was born in 
Pierce County, Georgia. When about eighteen he moved to Tifton where 
he finished his schooling. Thereafter he attended Georgia-Alabama Busi¬ 
ness College, in Macon. 

In 1903 S. A. Youmans married Miss Mary Young, daughter of Mr. 
and Mrs. T. B. Young, of Irwin County. Of this union are a number of 
children. 

For a number of years Mr. Youmnas was in partnership with his brother- 
in-law, J. T. Mathis, (Q.V.) in a musical instrument house, Mathis and 
Youmans, in Valdosta. For a while he was at Hahira. In 1919 he pur¬ 
chased the T. J. Parker home on Love Avenue, and the following January 
he and his family took residence therein. He engaged in the mercantile 
business in Tifton for many years. He was elected to serve on the board of 
Tifton City Commissioners, and at a meeting of the commissioners, August 
3, 1936 he was elected to fill the unexpired term of his brother-in-law, 
George Coleman, who had resigned as City Manager. Mr. Coleman was 
elected to fill Youman’s place on the Commission. Mr. Youmans served as 
Tifton City Manager until 1945, when Frank Smith became City Man¬ 
ager. 

During Mr. YYumans’ term of office during one period of about two 
years $250,000.00 project was inaugurated and completed by means of 
bonds and W.P.A. This included paving, extension of water and sewerage, 
a $100,000.00 disposal plant, and a new electric system for the water 
works, at a cost of about $25,000.00. 

At present, Mr. and Mrs. Youmans are enjoying a prolonged period of 
travel and are seeing the western part of the United States. Greetings to 
friends at home indicate a delightful time. 

TIFTON CITY MANAGER 
FRANK HENRY SMITH 
by E. Pickard Karsten 

Tifton’s fifth City Manager was Frank Henry Smith, still in office in 
1947. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


321 


Frank Henry Smith, born January 31, 1889, at Sayre, Pennsylvania, is 
son of Charles Walter Smith and Emma Jacoby Smith. 

Frank with his parents left Sayre in 1898 and moved to a place in the 
country near Nashville, Tennessee. Thence the family moved to near 
Waycross where they remained for about a year and where Frank’s mother 
died. 

In 1900 Frank Smith came with his father to Tifton where the elder 
Smith engaged in the iron molding business. 

About 1902 the Smith family moved to Birmingham, Ala., where young 
Smith was graduated from the Birmingham High School and from the Bir¬ 
mingham Business College. 

In 1907 the Smiths moved back to Tifton and Charles Walter Smith 
opened up a shoe repair business which he conducted until his death, about 
August 1, 1931. 

Frank Smith, after returning to Tifton, worked as an automobile me¬ 
chanic for H. H. Tift, Jr., and for Amos C. Tift until about 1919, when 
he entered into a partnership with J. W. Thrasher and W. D. King and 
formed the City Garage, with which he continued until January 1, 1945, 
at which time he became Tifton’s fifth city manager. He followed S. A. 
Youmans, resigned. Mr. Smith had served on the city commission con¬ 
tinuously from January, 1937, until he was elected city manage. In De¬ 
cember of 1936 he had been elected to fill the unexpired term of S. A. 
Youmans who resigned to become city manager, which term of office he 
began January, 1937. 

High lights of civic progress during Mr. Smith’s administration are: 
Construction of vocational school building at Tifton High School, 1945; 
remodeling of Tifton High School, 1946; extending of water mains and 
sewerage to the section of city annexed in 1940. 

Frank Henry Smith, on September 15, 1915, married Nora Goggins, 
daughter of N. J. Goggins, deceased, and Sarah Ann Gibson Goggins. 
Children of this union are Mae (Mrs. Charles W. Hahn), of Iowa; 
Frank H. Jr. (married Pauline Arnold), of Perry, Florida; Robert Emer¬ 
son, of Tifton. 


GEORGE WASHINGTON COLEMAN 
THIRD CITY MANAGER OF TIFTON 
by E. Pickard Karsten 

George Washington Coleman was born July 30, 1875, at Pitts, Geor¬ 
gia, where also he received his schooling. He was son of Stephen and 
Cynthia Elizabeth Fitzgerald Coleman. 



322 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


When nearly through high school young Coleman left Pitts and went 
to clerk in a store at Henderson, Georgia. 

In 1903 Mr. Coleman came to Tifton and was manager of Church- 
well’s Tifton store; here he continued until 1907 when he went to Val¬ 
dosta to open a musical instrument store, Mathis and Coleman. 

While in Tifton, G. W. Coleman married Ella Callie Youmans, daugh¬ 
ter of Elbert Edmund Youmans and Mary O’Quinn Youmans. The 
ceremony was performed on June 15, 1905, at the country home of the 
bride’s parents. 

After conducting the Valdosta firm, Mathis and Coleman, for two 
years, Mr. Coleman sold his interest to his brother-in-law, S. A. You¬ 
mans, and returned to Tifton, where he engaged in the plant business. 
Also he was Tifton’s third city manager. He began office January, 1933, 
and served until August 1936, when, because of failing health, he re¬ 
signed the managership and was succeeded by his brother-in-law, S. A. 
Youmans. Mr. Coleman, however, took the place vacated by Youmans 
on the city commission. He continued to conduct his plant business until 
his death. 

Mr. Coleman was a member of the Gun Lake Country Club and he 
and Mrs. Coleman were hosts at numerous delightful parties at their 
Gun Lake cabin; for the Colemans, genial, hospitable and friendly, had 
a host of friends. 

Mr. Coleman died at his Tifton home on Love Avenue, November 22, 
1937 - Burial was in Tifton cemetery. 

Mrs. Coleman continues tG live in Tifton. 

The Colemans had no children. 


TIFTON POST OFFICE 

Records indicate that the first post office in Tifton was in Captain Tift’s 
commissary, and W. O. Tift was the first postmaster from June I, 1887 
to 1890. The exact location of the office from 1890 to 1900 is not clear. 
At one time it was located on Third Street in Dr. Goodman’s drug store. 
During these ten years it probably moved to different places. Just when 
the post office was moved to Love Avenue in the building occupied at 
present by Western Auto Associate Store is not definite; however, the 
office was there in 1900. The government building was completed in June 
1914, and occupied on July 1, 1914. 

Rural delivery was established in 1898. City delivery of mail was au¬ 
thorized July 1, 1907. From 1885 to about 1907, the following offices 
were adjacent to Tifton: Sutton, Georgia; Harding, Georgia; Goodman, 
Georgia; Vanceville, Georgia; Brighton, Georgia; Waterloo, Georgia; 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


323 


Urbana, Georgia; Anslev, Georgia; and Dosia, Georgia. All of these post 
offices were discontinued with the advent of rural delivery service from 
the Tifton office. 

The following is a complete list of postmasters with dates of service: 

W. O. Tift from 1887 to 1890 

J. H. Duff, from 1890 to 1895 

T. M. Greene, from 1895 to 1898 

J. M. Duff, from 1898 to 1907 when he died. 

David Comfort was acting postmaster from July 1, 1907 to February 
14, 1908. W. O. Tift from February 15, 1908 to September 15, 1909, when 
he died. J. L. Pickard was acting postmaster from September 16, 1909 to 
November 25, 1910. Mrs. E. C. Tift (W. O.) postmaster from Novem¬ 
ber 26, 1910 to January 22, 1915. W. H. Bennett, postmaster from Janu¬ 
ary 23, 1915 to June 30, 1930. Jason Scarboro was postmaster from July 
1, 1920 to December 31, 1925. E. E. Slack was postmaster from January 
1, 1925 to September 30, 1928. Harris Massey was acting postmaster from 
October 1, 1928 to October 15, 1929. Joseph Kent, Sr., was postmaster 
from October 16, 1929 to March 27, 1934. Roy Thrasher was postmaster 
from March 28, 1934 t0 December 31, 1944. I. Y. Conger was postmaster 
from January 1, 1945 to January 31, 1946. Harris Massey was acting 
postmaster from February 1, 1946. 

The present postmaster entered the service at Tifton, on April 1, 1907, 
under the administration of J. M. Duff, when the office was third class. 
Postal receipts in 1907 were $8,000 a year; postal receipts in 1947 are 
about $67,000 a year. Massey succeeded Mr. Walter Harrell, a clerk 
whom the roaches ran away because they ate the stamps. Since postal au¬ 
thorities held Harrell responsible for the roaches’ conduct, he resigned. 
Massey was plowing a field when someone offered him the job. He reluc¬ 
tantly left the plow and mule and conquered the roaches during his novi¬ 
tiate training. At that time clerks made $500 a year; now the salary is 
$2,100. 

In 1900 the Tifton post office changed from fourth to third class; on 
July 1, 1907, to second class; to first class July 1, 1929; back to second 
class July 1, 1930; again to first class on July I, 1944 where we hope it 
will remain. 


UNION ROAD 
(The Tifton Gazette) 


When the Indians journeyed, they followed the route as the crow flies. 
Indian trails were later used as guides for the white man’s roads because 


324 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


they were the most direct, offered fewer natural obstacles and were the 
easiest established and maintained. 

From Macon south, there runs the great watershed between the Ocmul- 
gee River on the east and the Thronateeska on the west, later between the 
Alapaha and the Willacoochee on the east and the Thronateeska (which 
empties into the Apalachicola) until tributaries of the Suwanee are 
touched. 

Along this mighty shed an Indian trail ran, and along this trail the 
white man built his towns, which grew to be cities, and from town to town 
ran a road, and because it united the counties and their county seats, it 
was called “The Union Road.” 

From Macon, through Perry, the county seat of Houston, through 
Vienna, the county seat of Dooly, it followed the watershed beneath the 
whispering pines by where Ashburn, Tifton, and Adel now stand to 
Troupsville in Lowndes and then on South through Florida. 

The Union Road was a tribute to the woodcraft of the Indian. Later 
the most modern inventions of the white man, the steam locomotive and 
the motor car brought to the ability of the Aborigines more testimonials. 

When the route for the Georgia Southern and Florida railway from 
Macon to Florida was sought, the surveyors followed the Union Road. 
Within twenty miles north of Tifton the railway crossed this road seven¬ 
teen times. (Of course those crossings were eliminated.) The railway civil 
engineers paid another tribute to the Indian. 

Still later, when the National Highway was being mapped out south of 
Macon, it also followed this Union Road, because it was proved by com¬ 
petitive test that the route was best. Another tribute to the Indian. 

This is the route proposed for the Dixie Highway. It is the easiest 
route, the most direct route, the route proved by test to be the best. 


CHASE SALMON OSBORN 

Eighteen miles west-northwest of Tifton on Route 55, pleasantly set 
off from the town of Poulan by an arch of piney woods, is Possum Poke 
in Possum Lane, for more than fifty years the home of Chase Salmon 
Osborn, outstanding Governor of Michigan during the first half of the 
twentieth century in that state, and one of the most famous and best-loved 
winter residents of Georgia. 

In more than one way Governor Osborn is an integral part of the life 
and history of Tift County. His friendships rooted in this region have been 
a vital force without diminishment of warmth through the third and fourth 
generations. His personal interest in every advance attempted and achieved 
in Tifton and Tift County has been instantaneous, eloquent, and con¬ 
cretely helpful. The words he has spoken at countless gatherings private 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


325 


and public, in Tilton and surrounding rural communities, have instilled a 
lasting inspiration forever to be associated with his name. One of Tifton’s 
leading citizens has thus defined his influence: 

“Speakers come to Tifton who sweep you off your feet for the moment 
but after they go this mood is followed by a sense of unreality, dissatisfac¬ 
tion and futility—a depression one has to fight against for a while. But 
when Governor Osborn talks and lifts you into the clouds, somehow he 
always gives you something solid under your feet, so that you go on for¬ 
ever afterwards with a keen, new appreciation of the blessings and oppor¬ 
tunities that are right here in Tifton, under God, and a burning desire 
and enduring courage to begin at once to carve out of them what Governor 
Osborn has envisioned.” 

For years, until the fracture of a hip made other transportation routes 
more practicable, Governor Osborn stopped at the Hotel Myon always on 
his way north and south. The friendships that he found at Tifton he 
counted among the rarest treasures that came to him in all his explorations 
of the earth. 

One day a delegation of civic leaders attended on the Governor to ask 
the gift of extensive springs on property he owned in Worth County, for 
the Cheehaw Council of the Boy Scouts, which includes the Scouts of 
fifteen Georgia counties. He shocked them by inquiring why they had 
not asked for his entire holdings there, and then proceeded to give them, 
out of hand, over eight hundred acres of uncut and unturpentined forest. 
That is how South Georgia’s Chase Osborn Boy Scout Camp began. 

In many articles, pamphlets and books Governor Osborn has been de¬ 
scribed as pioneer, statesman, philanthropist, iron hunter, scientist, philos¬ 
opher, public speaker, author, publisher, and world traveler. What he has 
been and is surpasses all that he has done. Daniel Willard, great railroad 
president, once said that of all Chase Osborn’s brilliant facets, his chief 
genius was for friendship. Ernie Pyle wrote that of all the persons he had 
met in a year’s selective roving, Chase Osborn was the most interesting 
character; and he came a second time to Possum Poke to bring his wife to 
see the Governor. 

Huntington County, Indiana, has put a permanent marker on the site 
of the log cabin where Governor Osborn was born. Possum Poke in Pos¬ 
sum Lane is mentioned often as one of the literary shrines of Georgia. Of 
the numerous books produced by the Governor, and those in which his 
adopted daughter, Stellanova Osborn, shares authorship, a great proportion 
has come into being at this unique Southern homeplace. Miss Osborn’s A 
Tale of Possutn Poke in Possum Lane —which has a number of appealing 
references to Tifton and Tift County citizens—preserves the fascinations 
of the Governor’s miniature realm and his winsome reign there; also it 
bids fair to become a classic picture of the South Georgia countryside of 
which Tifton is a fast-growing center. 


326 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


CHRISTIE BELL KENNEDY (Mrs. Russell Scott) 

(Copied from “Talisman,” Tifton High School Annual of 1945) 

Of the Georgia women prominent in Washington, D. C., is Tifton’s 
own Christie Bell Kennedy, now Mrs. Scott Russell. 

Mrs. Russell, daughter of Mrs. J. C. Kennedy, was born and reared 
in Tifton, and graduated from the Tifton High School in 1928. She was 
employed by the South Georgia Power Company as cashier in the Cordele 
District office and was later made local manager for the Power Company 
office in Vienna. 

After attending the Clara Bell Smith Business College, Columbus, 
Georgia, she was employed by Senator Walter F. George in 1932. She was 
named secretary to Senator George in 1935 and was made clerk of Foreign 
Relations Committee in 1941, the second woman to hold this position. 

When Senator George was named chairman of the Finance Committee, 
Mrs. Russell was made clerk. She is the first woman to serve in this 
capacity. 

During the latter part of 1944 “Christie” became the bride of Colonel 
Scott Russell, who is now practicing law in Washington, D. C. 


FLORENCE KARSTEN CARSON 

In the fall of 1946 “Pearl Songs,” a book of very impressive poems by a 
citizen of Tifton, Florence Karsten Carson, was off the press. Many 
copies were presented to her friends as Christmas presents; the beautiful 
sentiment and appropriate expression made them especially valuable as the 
season’s greetings. Florence Karsten Carson is an artist from different 
angles; she paints as well as she writes. A few years ago Florence held an 
exhibition of oil paintings at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and 
at the Twentieth Century Library Club. There was also an exhibition of 
her miniatures at Washington Memorial Library, Macon. 

Her paintings have won prizes at the Georgia State Fair Department of 
Fine Arts and have been included in exhibitions at the Corcoran in Wash¬ 
ington, D. C., and at the Telfair in Savannah and elsewhere. 

Florence Karsten Carson, daughter of Paul Daggett Karsten and Eliza¬ 
beth Pickard Karsten, was born in Macon, Georgia in the president’s 
apartments at the time her grandfather, Dr. William Lowndes Pickard 
was president of Mercer University. On her father’s side Florence is a 
granddaughter of Dr. Gustav Karsten, educator and editor, and Eleanor 
Daggett Karsten, writer, a direct descendant of Dr. N. Daggett, Revolu¬ 
tionary president of Yale University. 

When nine years old she began the study of art with Miss Mollie 
Mason of Macon. Florence later studied in New York, New Haven, and 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


327 


in Boston. Before entering Bessie Tift College, where she later received 
her A.B. degree, she graduated from the Cambridge Preparatory School 
for Girls. At Bessie Tift she also received her diploma in speech. 

On July 26, 1942 she married Robert Clements Carson, son of Ella 
Pate Carson and the late Briggs Carson, of Tifton. On April 8, 1947 in 
Tifton, Ella Pate Carson was born to Robert Clements Carson and Flor¬ 
ence Karsten Carson. 

AN APPRECIATION OF TIFTON 
Ida Belle Williams 

Had I not gone to Tifton, I should have missed some of the richest ex¬ 
periences of my life. Although the compiling of the “Tift County History” 
has been strenuous, I appreciate the opportunity of writing about the spot 
where some of my dearest friends live. Had I not gone to Tifton, I should 
not have known Mrs. H. H. Tift, a great woman, and other valuable 
people. Browning’s lines about Italy express my sentiment: 

“Open my heart 
And you will see 
Engraved inside it”—Tifton ! 

TIFT COUNTY OFFICERS 
by E. Pickard Karsten 
TIFT COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 

(List furnished by Mrs. Vinson Goff, Clerk of Tift County Commis¬ 
sioners.) 

From the organization of Tift County in 1905, until September, 1907, 
W. S. Walker, Ordinary, was in charge of the County affairs. 

Commissioners appointed by Ordinary W. S. Walker to lay out County 
of Tift into Militia Districts. 

Brighton District: John Goff, Dan Fletcher, Henry Sutton. 

Brookfield District: John A. Cox, W. A. Patten, R. G. Coarsey. 

Chula District: J. Y. Fletcher, John Rigdon, J. W. Branch. 

Docia District: Silas O’Quinn, M. Tucker, Jr., J. W. Taylor. 

El Dorado District: T. E. Phillips, P. D. Phillips, J. F. Williams. 

Omega District: G. W. Ridley, J. W. Carr, A. Conger. 

Tifton District: G. W. Guest, G. W. Conger, J. T. Mathis. 

Ty Ty District: J. A. Warren, W. E. Williams, William Gibbs. 

Tift County Commissioners. 

(The first named in each group acted as chairman.) 

September, 1907: Thurston E. Phillips, Wm. Gibbs, H. H. Tift, I. W. 
Bowen, John Goff. 

January, 1909: M. Tucker, I. W. Bowen, John Goff. 

January, 1911 : J. W. Baker, I. W. Bowen, J. F. Summers. 


328 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


January, 1913: M. Tucker, M. L. Whitfield, I. W. Bowen. 

January, 1915: T. E* Phillips, G. W. Ford, L. L. Simmons. 

January, 1916: J. J. Golden, sole Commissioner. 

September, 1917: R. E. Hall, M. Tucker, Jehu Branch. 

January, 1921: T. E. Phillips, Jehu Branch, W. C. Mobley. 

January, 1923: T. M. Chesnutt, N. L. Coarsey, W. C. Mobley. (Each 
served as chairman at some time.) 

March, 1928: N. L. Coarsey, H. F. Gibbs, W. C. Mobley. 

January, 1929: N. L. Coarsey, J. W. Taylor, Henry F. Gibbs. (Mr. 
Gibbs served as chairman for one term.) 

January, 1941: N. L. Coarsey, A. B. Phillips, Colin Malcolm. 

January, 1943: C. A. Baker, Colin Malcolm, A. B. Phillips. 

January ,1945: C. A. Baker, W. C. McCormic, A. B. Phillips. 

January, 1947: W. C. McCormic, C. A. Baker, A. B. Phillips. 

The last named three are still in office in this August, 1947. 


OFFICERS OF TIFT COUNTY 

(From the formation of the county in 1905 until the present time, 1947.) 

By E. Pickard 

Copied from official record hooks in Tift County Courthouse; recorded 
by Henry D. Webb and Earl Gibbs. 

Clerks of Superior Court and their terms of office: 

1. J. Edwin Peeples, took office October 5, 1905, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1908. 

2. Henry D. Webb, took office January 1, 1909, served through De¬ 
cember 3r, 1940. 

3. Earl D. Gibbs, took office January 1, 1941, still in office in 1947. 

Ordinaries of Tift County. 

1. W. S’. Walker, took office October 5, 1905, served through Decem¬ 
ber 31, 1908. 

2. C. W. Graves, took office January 1, 1909, served to date of death, 
August 18, 1919. 

Henry D. Webb, clerk of Superior Court acted as ordinary from Au¬ 
gust 18, 1919, to September 30, 1919. Also, he acted as ordinary from 
August 26, 1936 to September 23, 1936. 

3. J. J. Baker, took office September 30, 1919, served till death, August 
26, 1936. 

4. Mrs. J. J. Baker, took office September 23, 1936, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1936, being the unexpired term of her husband, J. J. Baker. 

5. Mrs. Mary E. Rigdon, took office January 1, 1937, served through 
December 31, 1944. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


329 


6. Phillip C. Kelley, took office January i, 1945; served to July 24, 
1947 . 

Earl Gibbs, Clerk of the Superior Court, acted as ordinary, beginning 
July 24, 1947, and still serves on this August 21, 1947. 

7. Leon Clements was elected ordinary, in a special election, August 18, 
J 947 > but has not yet entered upon the duties of his office, on this August 
21, 1947. 

Sheriffs of Tift County from beginning of the County, 1905, until the 
present time, 1947. 

1. John W. Baker, took office October 5, 1905, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1908. 

2. E. D. Branch, took office January 1, 1909, served through Decem¬ 
ber 31, 1912. 

3. J. M. Shaw, took office January 1, 1913, served through December 

31, 1924. 

4. J. O. Thrasher, took office January 1, 1925, served to May 22, 1932, 
date of death of J. O. Thrasher. 

5. S. C. Thrasher, took office May 22, 1932 (by appointment) ; served 
to September 14, 1932, when he was elected to serve as ordinary for the 
unexpired term of J. O. Thrasher, through December 31, 1932. 

6. J. M. Walker, took office January 1, 1933; still in office, on this 
August 21, 1947. 

Coroners of Tift County, from the beginning of the County, 1905, until 
the present time, August 21, 1947. 

1. J. E. Johns, took office October 5, 1905, served through December 
3 U 1908. 

2. G. W. Walker, took office January 1, 1909, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1912. 

3. Charles F. Miller, took office, January 1, 1913, served to date of 
death, 1918. 

4. W. H. Young, took office January 7, 1919, served through December 
31, 1920. 

5. T. M. Brown, took office January 1, 1921, to date of death, Sep¬ 
tember 11, 1933. 

M. S. Patten, Jr., was appointed by Ordinary J. J. Baker, and acted as 
coroner, beginning October 2, 1933, through December 31, 1936. 

6. M. S. Patten, Jr., took office January 1, 1937, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1940. 

7. J. M. Simpson, took office January 1, 1940. (Still in office.) 

Superintendents of Education and their terms of office, from the begin¬ 
ning of the County until the present time, August 21, 1947. 

The Board of Education appointed W. R. Smith. 



TIFT COUNTY OFFICIALS 

Top—Sheriff J. M. Walker (deceased). Ordinary Leon Clements 
Bottom—Clerk of Court Earl D. Gibbs. Tax Commissioner W. Jelks Warren 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


331 


1. W. R. Smith, began office January i, 1906; served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1910. 

2. R. F. Kersey, began office January 1, 1911, served through Decem¬ 
ber 31, 1916. 

3. A. J. Ammons, began office January 1, 1917, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1928. 

4. W. L. Harman, began office January 1, 1929; served to December 
28, 1934, date of his death. 

Charles Harman was appointed by the Board of Education for the un¬ 
expired term of his father, VV. L. Harmon, and served from January 1, 
1935, through December 31, 1936. 

5. Charles Harman, was elected superintendent and began office Janu¬ 
ary 1, 1937 and served until date of his death, May 6, 1937. 

W. H. Caudill acted for 6 days. 

W. T. Bodenhamer, began office May 12, 1937, served to October 17, 
I939> when he resigned to accept position as District State School Super¬ 
visor. 

C. F. Hudgins was appointed by the Tift County Board of Education to 
fill the unexpired term of W. T. Bodenhamer, resigned. 

C. F. Hudgins began office October 16, 1939; served through Decem¬ 
ber 31, 1940. 

Mercer H. Mitcham, began office January 1, 1941, (still in office, this 
August 21, 1947) - 

Tax Collectors of Tift County, from creation of county until the present. 

1. J. H. Hutchinson, began office October 5, 1905, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1916. 

2. T. S. Rigdon, began office January 1, 1917, served through Decem¬ 
ber 31, 1924. 

3. R. H. Hutchinson, began office January 1, 1925, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1926 (by appointment). 

4. C. A. Baker, began office January 1, 1927, served through Decem¬ 
ber 31, 1928. 

The Legislature, in 1927, abolished the office of Tax Collector and that 
of Tax Receiver and created the office of Tax Commissioner, effective 
January 1, 1929. 

Tax Commissioner of Tift County. 

1. W. J. Warren, began office January 1, 1929, still in office (in 1947). 

Tax Receivers of Tift County, from the creation of the county until the 
abolition of the office. 

1. J. A. Marchant, began office October 5, 1905, served through De 

cember 31, 1908. • 

2. Henry Sutton, began office January 1, 1909, served through Decem¬ 
ber 31, 1912. 


332 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


3. George W. Fletcher, began office January 1, 1913, served through 
December 31, 1914. 

4. O. F. Shepherd, began office January 1, 1915, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1916. 

5. George Sutton, began office January 1, 1917, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1924. 

6. W. J. Warren, began office January 1, 1925; served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1928. 

The Legislature, in 1927, abolished the office of Tax Receiver, and that 
of Tax Collector, and created that of Tax Commissioner (see above). 

Tift County Treasurers, from the creation of the county until the 
abolition cff the office. 

1. S. F. Overstreet, began office October 5, served through Decem¬ 
ber 31, 1912. 

2. J. A. Marchant, began office January 1, 1913; served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1914. 

3. J. S. Royal, began office January 1, 1915, served through December 
3L 1916. 

The Legislature, in 1916, abolished the office of County Treasurer, and 
placed the duties of Treasurer in the hands of the Board of County Com¬ 
missioners, effective January 1, 1917. 

Tift County Surveyors, since the creation of the county. 

1. Joseph T. Webb, began office October 5, 1905, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1908. 

2. M. R. Lindsey, began office January 1, 1909, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1912. 

3. A. D. Ross, began office January 1, 1913, served through December 
31, 1920. 

4. Milton D. Jones, began office January 1, 1921, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1924. 

5. Charles R. Pittman, began office May 6, 1925, served through Feb¬ 
ruary 10, 1927. 

6. T. W. Johnson, began office February 11, 1927, served through De¬ 
cember 31, 1928. 

7. A. D. Ross, began office December 17, 1929, served to September 4, 
1933 (see appointment by J. J. Baker, Ordinary Minute Book A, page 
123, Ordinary’s Office). 

8. M. R. Lindsey, was appointed by J. J. Baker, Ordinary (see Ordi¬ 
nary Minute Book A, page 383, Ordinary’s Office). Began office Septem¬ 
ber 4, 1933; served through December 31, 1936. 

9. M. R. Lindsey, began office January 1, 1937. 

Members of Tift County Board of Health. 

(Recommended or appointed by the Grand Jury.) 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


333 


Dr. C. S. Pittman, February 23, 1931-February 23, 1935. 

W. T. Bodenhamer, Supt. of Tift County Schools. 

N. L. Coarsey, Chairman of Board of County Commissioners. 

W. T. Bodenhamer resigned as Superintendent of Schools, October 16, 
1939, and was succeeded by C. F. Hudgins, as Superintendent of Schools, 
Mr. Hudgins served through December 31, 1940 and was succeeded, 
January 1, 1941, by Mercer H. Mitcham. 

Dr. C. S. Pittman, Chairman of Tift County Board of Health, Decem¬ 
ber, 1943 (see Minute Book 5, page 325). 

M. H. Mitcham, January 1, 1941. 

Chester A. Baker, January i, 1943 through December 31, 1946. 

Dr. C. S. Pittman, January 1, 1944. 

W. C. McCormic, January 1, 1947. 

(See Minute Book 6:60.) 

Registrars of Tift County. 

(Appointed by Judge of the Superior Court.) 

I. W. Bowen appointed February 10, 1920, term expired January 1, 
1921. 

Harry Kent appointed February 10, 1920, term expired, January I, 
1921 (died July, 1927). 

William Whiddon appointed February 10, 1920, term expired, January 
1, 1921. 

I. W. Bowen appointed January 28, 1928, term expired January 1, 1930. 
E. E. Slack appointed January 28, 1928, term expired January 1, 1930. 
William Whiddon appointed January 28, 1928, term expired January 1, 

1930. 

R. C. Postell appointed June 27, 1929, term expired January 1, 1930. 
(For unexpired term of E. E. Slack, deceased.) 

I. W. Bowen appointed January 1, 1930, term expired December 31, 
I93I> 

W. M. Whiddon appointed January 1, 1930, term expired December 31, 

1931 . 

R. C. Postell appointed January 1, 1930, term expired December 31, 
I93i. 

I. W. Bowen appointed January 1, 1932, term expired December 31, 
1933 . 

W. M. Whiddon appointed January 1, 1932, term expired December 
3 i, 1933 - 

R. C. Postell appointed January 1, 1932, term expired December 31, 
1933 . 

I. W. Bowen appointed January 1, 1934, term expired December 31, 
1934 - 

G. E. Clements appointed January 1, i934> term expired December 31, 



TIFT COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 
Top row—W. C. McCormic, chairman of the board. A. B. Phillips, com¬ 
missioner. Bottom, Chester A. Baker, commissioner. 





HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


335 


1934 - 

Joseph Kent appointed January i, 1934, term expired December 31, 
1934 . 

(All three of the above held over until December 31, 1936.) 

I. W. Bowen, Jr., appointed January 1, 1937, term expired December 
3 U 1938 . 

G. E. Clements appointed January 1, 1937, term expired December 31, 
1938 . 

Joseph Kent appointed January 1, 1937, term expired December 31, 
1938. 

I. W. Bowen, Jr., appointed January 1, 1940, term expired December 
3 U 1941 . 

G. E. Clements appointed January 1, 1940, term expired December 31, 
1941. 

Joseph Kent appointed January 1, 1937, term expired December 31, 

1941. 

I. W. Bowen, Jr., appointed January 1, 1942, term expired December 
31, 1944. Resigned. 

G. E. Clements appointed January 1, 1942, term expired December 31, 

1944 - 

Joseph Kent appointed January 1, 1942, term expired December 31, 
1944. Resigned. 

Harry Hornbuckle appointed May 20, 1943, term expired December 31, 

1944. 

Wheeler Willis appointed April 1, 1946, term expires March 31, 1948. 
John T. Ferguson appointed April 1, 1946, term expires March 31, 1948. 

J. C. Williams appointed April 1, 1946, term expires March 31, 1948. 
Henry D. Webb appointed April 1, 1946, term expires March 31, 1948. 
M. E. Hendry appointed June 22, 1946. 

Wheeler Willis refused appointment and Henry D. Webb was appoint¬ 
ed, April 17, 1946. 

Land Processioners of Tift County 

(Appointed by County Commissioners May 2, 1932, for term of four 
years or until successors are appointed.) 

Brighton District: J. S. Belflower, I. L. Simmons, Dan Fletcher. 
Brookfield District: I. W. Bowen, Sr., E. F. Harrel, J. L. Gay. 

Chula District: L. W. Whiddon, E. D. Branch, J. O. Ross.. 

Docia District: G. W. Ford, Sr., R. J. Spinks, John R. Willis. 

El Dorado District: A. N. Adcock, L. M. Owens, R. G. Harrell. 
Omega District: C. R. Patrick, John R. Butler, W. W. Baker. 

Ty Ty District: W. W. Willis, Jacob Gibbs, L. M. Whitfield. 

Tifton District: J. H. Hutchinson, W. H. Willis, T. E. Mitchell. 

Land Processioners of Tift County 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN TIFTON 
Top row—The United States Post Office. Tift County Courthouse 
Center—The Bank of Tifton. Confederate Monument in Fulwood Park 
Bottom—Tift County Hospital 





















HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


337 


(Appointed by the County Commissioners, Monday, May 6, 1940, for 
term of four years, or until successors appointed.) See Commissioners’ 
Minute Book B, page no. 

Brighton District: Dan Goff, Will Sutton, G. E. Clements. 

Brookfield District: J. L. Gay, C. B. Clements, Reason Gibbs. 

Chula District: Lott Whiddon, Dempsey Whiddon, Jehu Branch. 

Docia District: Warren Tucker, F. W. Massey, R. J. Spinks. 

El Dorado District: Lemmie J. Lindsey, A. N. Adcock, R. G. Harrell. 

Omega District: C. L. Keith, W. T. Patrick, J. R. Butler. 

Ty Ty District: J. H. Glover, Jacob Gibbs, J. S. Gibbs. 

Tifton District: J. H. Hutchinson, J. W. Moore, J. J. Golden. 

Tift County Tax Assessors. 

(Appointed by County Commissioners. Term of office, six years.) 

Jacob Hall appointed May 31, 1926, term expired May 31, 1928. 

J. W. Hardy, Jacob Gibbs appointed May 31, 1926, term expired May 
3 L 1928. 

George F. Paulk appointed May 31, 1926, term expired May 31, 1928. 

Briggs Carson appointed January 6, 1930, term expired December 31, 
1935 . 

J. W. Hardy appointed January 6, 1930, term expired December 31, 
1935 . 

Walter Sutton appointed January 6, 1930, term expired December 31 
1935 . 

Term of office of Briggs Carson, J. W. Hardy, Walter Sutton, vacated 
in 1933 - 

S. G. Dodson appointed June 5, 1933, term expired December 31, 1934. 

E. F. Preston appointed June 5, 1933, term expired December 31, 1936. 

C. V. Taylor appointed June 5, 1933, term expired December 31, 1938. 

W. C. Mobley appointed January 7, 1935. 

D. B. Spinks was appointed to fill the unexpired term of W. C. Mobley, 
his term running from April 18, 1938 and expiring December 31, 1940. 
(County Commissioners’ Book 2, page 101.) 

By order of County Commissioners, E. F. Preston held over from De¬ 
cember 31, 1936 to January 4, 1940, and was re-elected to hold office from 
January 4, 1940 to December 31, 1942. 

By order of County Commissioners, C. V. Taylor held over from De¬ 
cember 31, 1938 to January 4, 1940, and was re-appointed to hold office 
from January 4, 1940 to December 31, 1944. See Commissioners’ Minute 
Book 2, page 101. 



TTFTON CITY COMMISSION 

Top row—C. A. Sears, commission chairman. Frank H. Smith, city manager 
Center row—P. D. Fulwood, Sr., commissioner. R. M. Kennon, commissioner 
Bottom row—J. F. Newton, commissioner. A. C. Tift, commissioner 







HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


339 


HISTORY OF GEORGIA COASTAL PLAIN 
EXPERIMENT STATION 
(George King) 

The Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station was established by an 
Act of the General Assembly of Georgia approved August 19, 1918. The 
general control of the station was placed in the hands of a Board of Trus¬ 
tees consisting of the Governor of the State, the Commissioner of Agricul¬ 
ture, and seven other men appointed by the Governor from the Coastal 
Plain section of the State. The personnel of this Board was as follows: 

Hugh Dorsey, Governor of Georgia 

J. J. Brown, Commissioner of Agriculture 

H. H. Tift, Tifton, Ga., Chairman of the Board 

A. J. Bird, Metter, Ga. 

H. W. Hopkins, Thomasville, Ga. 

Newton Watkins, Fitzgerald, Ga. 

D. M. Parker, Waycross, Ga. 

J. W. Slade. Sandersville, Ga. 

H. H. Elders, Reidsville, Ga. 

The Board of Trustees was authorized to select a location for the Sta¬ 
tion. Several sites were considered. Tifton w^as selected because it was 
typical of the Coastal Plain and because of a gift of 206.22 acres of land 
from Capt. H. H. Tift and the raising of a handsome sum of money by 
the people of Tifton and Tift County. 

The Station w-as governed by the Board of Trustees until January 1, 
1932, when the Reorganization Act of August 28, 1931, placed the Station 
in the University System of Georgia under the control of the Board of 
Regents, to w T hich the Director of the Station is directly responsible. 

The original Station farm consisted of 206.22 acres. This land was prac¬ 
tically all cut-over and swamp land with only 36 acres in cultivation. The 
only building was a four-room cottage. 

It has been wisely said that an institution is but the shadow of a man. 
This was true in the growth of the Station. The first director of the Sta¬ 
tion, Mr. S. H. Starr, was appointed by the Board of Trustees on October 
17, 1919, and assumed his duties on November 15, 1919. Mr. Starr served 
continuously from this time until the time of his death in November 1942. 
During his service, the Station made tremendous strides. From 206 acres, 
the land holdings of the Station increased to approximately 4,000 acres, and 
from the four-room cottage to buildings valued at a half-million dollars. 
Two thousand acres were located north of Tifton. In an effort to reach 
other soil types and farming conditions, land w^as acquired in Cook County, 
Berrien County, and Decatur County. In 1920, the Station staff consisted 
of the Director, farm superintendent, and two research specialists. In 1942, 


340 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


the staff had grown to the Director, the farm superintendent, and 25 
specialists. 

Two members of the original staff are now at the Station—Mr. Fred 
Bell, Farm Superintendent, and Mr. Otis Wooward, Horticulturist. Lack 
of space forbids the naming of all specialists employed during the years. 
These are available in the Station library. 

In November 1942, Mr. George H. King, who had been President of 
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College for eight years, was elected Direc¬ 
tor to succeed the late S. H. Starr. Since this time some 1,200 acres of land 
have been added, giving the station possession of over 5,000 acres of land. 
Several new departments have been established, so that the Station now 
consists of the Director and 32 specialists. 


SILAS STARR 
by E. Pickard Karsten 

Born in Starrsville, Newton County, Georgia, April 3, 1888, son of 
Joe A. and Mattie Elliott Starr, Silas Starr attended the public schools of 
Mansfield and prepared for college at the University School for Boys. He 
was graduated from the Georgia State College of Agriculture at Athens, in 
1910. Thence he went to Bolton College, Brunswick, Tennessee, where 
he was assistant principal and then principal, and also taught agriculture. 

From Bolton Starr returned to his alma mater and taught agronomy and 
became professor of farm management. These positions he held until 1917. 

On December 27, 1917 Silas Starr enlisted in the United States Army 
during World War I. He served as lieutenant in the Field Artillery and 
was for seven months with the American forces in France. After the close 
of the war he returned to America and was mustered out January 22, 1919. 

Starr after his army service returned to the Georgia State College of 
Agriculture where he remained until he was appointed Director of the 
Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station at Tifton, November 10, 1919. 
His work from then until his death in a Thomasville, Georgia, hospital fol¬ 
lowing a leg amputation, was the work which, together with that of the 
other men at the station, has contributed greatly tc the agriculural success 
of his community. His biography after coming to the station is the history 
of the station, for he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the interests of 
the station, and during the time when he headed the institution numerous 
important experiments were made and much knowledge useful to the farm¬ 
ers of the country was gained. He headed the station from the time of its 
establishment, January 1920, until his death, November 6, 1942. 

In manner one of Tifton’s most unassuming citizens, Dr. Silas Starr 
was one of the community’s most eminent men. Governors, senators, and 
scholarly educators were his close friends, yet he spoke with friendly kindli¬ 
ness to the tiller of the soil to better whose position was his life work. 



CHAPTER XXVI 
MISCELLANEOUS PART II 
NEGRO PIONEERS 
by E. Pickard Karsten 

No history of Tift County would be adequate did it omit mention of 
those high-type Negroes whose faithful and efficient service and upright 
character made a large contribution to the building of Tifton. 

Too numerous to mention by name are the faithful and strong mill 
hands whose service at the Tift Mill helped build the town. 

Memory’s tribute of appreciation goes to Herbert, long gardener to H. 
H. Tift, and in charge of bre building in the Tift home. How brightly 
burned those fires, and how fragrant was the sweet pine lightwood, and 
the fragrance of the burning rosin chips! How bright the tall brass and¬ 
irons! How memory goes back to when my mother asked Uncle Herbert 
what he wished as a gift, and her surprise at his answer “A dictionary l” 
She gave him one. He was a preacher. 

In the Tift home as maid, and nurse to me when I came down to Tif¬ 
ton, winters, was sweet Bertha Copeland. She taught me much of what I 
learned in those early days, and I remember her always as kind and cheer¬ 
ful and a gentlewoman in her ways. Also, I recall how good tasted the 
sweet potatoes she would bake for me in the ashes of the fireplace. In after 
years I tried to bake some thus, but mine never tasted like hers! The last 
time I saw her was the day when she came to see me after my aunt, Bessie 
Tift, died. Bertha had come to the funeral and when she learned I was here 
she came to see me. I cried on her shoulder as I had, when hurt, in my child¬ 
hood, and, as then, I found solace in her large kindliness, healing to the 
soul. 

There was Flora, for forty years laundress to Mrs. Tift; and no laundry 
could excel Flora’s beautiful work. Her daughter, Lillian Forrester, was 
a power for good among the people of her own race, and the last time I saw 
her, her face shone with so much sweetness and goodness that I felt humble 
in her presence. I was not surprised when, soon afterward, I learned that 
she had gone from this world. It was evident that she was ready to go. 

Jane, whose meals were prepared with great skill, Julia, Jerry, all 
skilled cooks in the H. H. Tift household; Jeff Mathis, in the service of 
H. H. Tift, Jr., for many, many years, from childhood until Mr. Tift’s 
death; Sally Ivory 7 , nurse to my own children and later cook to my mother, 
and again, after my mother’s death, cook in my home again, in all a period 
of thirty years; Matilda Grant, nurse in my mother’s household for thir¬ 
teen years—these, many of them long passed from this world, are yet with 
me in memory, and I recall with gratitude the part they had in making life 
much richer and sweeter than it would have been without them. 


341 



WITH TIFT COLORED FOLKS 

Top left—The day’s pick in one of Tift’s cotton fieids. Top right—Young 
Dennard, who has celebrated his 101st birthday. 

Center, left—Pulling tomato plants in one of the many fields in Tift County. 
Bottom—Group singing in the colored school at Tifton 






HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


343 


In more recent years, yet now for a long time, have been here Lelia 
Brooks, and William Brooks. Lelia’s patience and kindness with children 
is such as made her charge eagerly await her hour to come each day, and 
reluctant to have her leave. Brooks, who for many years has been the one 
to thorough-clean the library with its many shelves of books, is also effi¬ 
cient at parties, and at any thing he undertakes. 

In addition to these there is another whom I wish to mention but whose 
name I do not know. When I attended the funeral of Sallie Ivory, the 
woman I refer to sang, and 1 think I shall never forget the sweetness of 
her voice, as she sang “Nothing Between Myself and My Savior.” Such 
music is a gift of God. 


NEGRO CITIZENS 
by Mrs. N. Peterson 

A great many of the older colored citizens of Tifton and Tift County 
came to Tifton with Capt. Tift and worked with him in his mill in the 
woods felling and hauling logs to the mill or else working in the turpen¬ 
tine forests. 

Most of the wives of these men were maids, nurses, cooks, and washer 
women for many of the housewives of Tifton. 

Space will only permit the naming a few who are still living in Tifton 
where they reared their families, who in turn are doing their bit toward 
making Tifton and Tift county a better place in which to live. 

The first family I shall name will be Charlie and Flora Forester, who 
came from Albany with Captain Tift. Charlie helped to build the first 
mill and worked as block setter in the mill until his death. His wife Flora 
was laundress for Mrs. H. H. Tift for forty-one years—having the laun¬ 
dry in her home at the time of her death. Their daughter Janie married 
Fred Rutherford, who helped Johnny Wilson to raise funds to build the 
first Tift County Industrial School. He also served in World War I. 

Henry and Maria Wilson were the parents of Johnny Wilson to whom 
credit is given in the chapter on Tift County Industrial school. Henry 
worked as a mill hand during his life time. Aunt Maria is still living in 
Phillipsburg—a unique character in that her mind is still so clear for one 
her age. She was cook and laundress for Tifton white folk for years. 

Doan and Joanna Winters came to Tifton with Capt. John A. Phillips 
who built the old Sadie Hotel. Doan was general cook and porter for the 
hotel—his wife was general maid. Clark Winters, their son, now a faith- 



344 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


ful employee of the local Georgia Power Company, was one of Johnny 
Wilson’s committee to raise funds for the Industrial school. 

Jim and Ida May Manuel were early citizens. Jim worked on Capt. 

Tift’s log train while Ida May’s hobby was cleaning and taking care of 
the young men’s offices down town. 

Tom and Lucy Mathis were faithful employees of Captain Tift. Their 
son Jeff, when a very young boy started working on the tram engine for 
the mill. 

The story goes that Captain Tift would often run the engine himself to 
the woods to haul the log train into the mill. On these trips he would take 
Jeff to stand on the front of the engine to run the stock off the track to 
keep from being hit by the engine. Jeff drove for the Captain during horse 
and buggy days and also his automobile as long as Captain Tift lived. He 
then took over as general house boy for Mrs. Tift until her death. Jeff did 
fine service in 1929, driving Mrs. Tift’s car for six weeks to take some 
pupils to a night school for adult illiterates taught by Miss Marian Ragan. 
Jeff now owns and operates a good dry cleaning establishment on Seventh 
Street. 

Wesley and Cherry Holt were old timers. Wesley was a farmer, but 
worked in turpentine when Captain Tift needed him. Cherry was one of 
the first mid-wives in this section. She practiced for both white and colored 
as long as she was physically able. She is still living in Unionville, but is 
very feeble. 

Ned and Lula Manning were good colored farmers of the Chula sec¬ 
tion of the county for a number of years. This fact is evidenced by their 
son, Nathan Manning, who has been the faithful janitor at the Tifton 
post office since July 1921. He owns his own home and has given his chil¬ 
dren a good education. His oldest daughter has a college education. 

Lewis King was an old mill hand. His wife died when his daughter Clara 
was quite young. She grew to womanhood and married Gus Small, who is 
a butcher by trade. Clara has been janitress at the Tifton Post Office since 
1918. 

Jerry Copeland was fireman and blacksmith at Tift’s Mill. He passed 
his trade on to his son, Bill, who is considered one of the best blacksmiths 
and mechanics in Tifton. His work rated so high that the government took 
him as a mechanical trainer for colored boys during World War II. He 
also assisted Johnny Wilson in raising funds for the Tift County Indus¬ 
trial School. 

There are several colored pastors that should be given a place in the 
annals of Tifton’s history. I refer to Brother Dan Mosely, pastor of old 
Shiloh Baptist Church. Another pastor is Cam Whitterker, pastor of 
Springfield church. 

There are a few individual characters who stand out with the older. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


345 

citizens of Tifton. Who does not remember old Uncle Herbert Nichols, 
who was always soliciting funds with which to build a new church; old 
Aunt Dina Jones, mid-wife and baby nurse for all who could secure her 
services when there was a new baby in the home ? 

T here are many others who have left their imprint for good on the 
lives of both white and black. Could we have done without them? 


NEGRO CHURCHES 
by B. L. Powers 

Shiloh Baptist Missionary Church, which is the First Baptist Church in 
Tifton (colored)—organized 1882 near Tift Quarter in a small building. 
It was later built between Tift Quarter and Unionville, a larger building. 
In 1922 we moved into the present building which is a brick structure. 

The first pastor was Rev. Anderson Whitaker; second pastor, Rev. Ben 
Jones; third pastor, Rev. D. A. Mosley. He served nearly 40 years. Fourth 
pastor, Rev. H. T. Tarver, served 13 years; fifth pastor, Rev. W. A. 
Tucker. This year is his seventh. Present location, south of Tifton near the 
National highway. Present value of church about $15,000. Name of pres¬ 
ent pastor, Rev. W. A. Tucker; name of present clerk, Mrs. B. L. Pow¬ 
ers. Membership, 196. Preaching days, second and fourth Sundays. 

Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church was organized in the Everett 
Chapel C. M. E. Church, May 1912, with 18 members under Rev. A. 
J. Rucker. He served nine months. Second pastor, Rev. D. J. Jackson; 
third pastor, Rev. G. W. Marlon; fourth pastor, Rev. J. C. Carter; fifth 
pastor, Rev. B. J. Drummer. Present location, S. Park Avenue, Phillips- 
burg. Present value of church, about $8,000. Membership 300. Wooden 
structure. Rev. B. J. Drummer, pastor; Mrs. Julia Folley, clerk. 

I Hope Church of God Apostolic. Organized 1941 with 8 members. 
First pastor, Rev. Louie Odoms. Location, Collins Quarter in Tifton, Ga. 
Present location, Ind. Drive. Present value of church $4,000. Name of 
pastor and only pastor of this church. Rev. Louie Odoms. Membership, 83. 
Number of churches in this town, one. Type of church, wooden structure. 
Rev. Louie Odoms, pastor; Mrs. L. M. Odoms, clerk. 

Primitive Baptist Church was organized ten years ago under the Rev. 
L. Carter, south of Unionville on Peachtree Street. First and only pastor, 
Rev. L. Carter. Present value of church about $500.00. Membership 50. 
Present pastor, Rev. L. Carter. 

Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, organized 1900. First pastor’s 
name was Rev. Guss Mingo. Location of church, on the Hill in Phillips- 
burg, near Mrs. Eloise McCloud’s home. Second pastor, Rev. W. D. 


346 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Watson; third pastor, Rev. G. B. Moseley; fourth pastor, Rev. N. A. Mil¬ 
ler; fifth pastor, Rev. J. S. Murray; sixth pastor, Rev. Jake Parson; seventh 
pastor, Rev. Henry Strong; eighth pastor, Rev. W. F. Flamman. Present 
location, Park Avenue, Phillipsburg. Present value of church about $12,000. 
Membership, 150. Pastor, Rev. W. F. Flamman; clerk, Mr. A. McCrae. 

Beulah Hill Missionary Baptist Church, organized, 1900. First pastor, 
Rev. L. M. Mathis, served 29 years. Location in bottom back of Phillips¬ 
burg, near Mr. Jeff Mathis’s present home. Second pastor, Rev. R. D. 
Arline; third pastor, Rev. E. D. King; fourth pastor, Rev. R. H. Williams; 
figth pastor, Rev. B. J. Jordan; sixth pastor, Rev. Picket; seventh pastor, 
Rev. E. G. Kirk; eighth pastor, Rev. H. W. Wilburn; ninth pastor, Rev. 
L. T. Sanders. Present location about the center of Phillipsburg. Present 
value of church, about $7,000. Membership —? Present pastor, Rev. L. T. 
Sanders. Present clerk, Mrs. Fannie King. 

Springfield Missionary Baptist Church, organized April 8, 1886 at 
Vanceville, Ga., under Rev. Boss Williams,. First pastor, Rev. Bill Mitch¬ 
ell; second pastor, Rev. Sam Jordon; third pastor, Rev Nesbia Johnson; 
fourth pastor, Rev. Dick Jackson; fifth pastor, Rev. C. W. Whitaker; sixth 
pastor, Rev. J. H. Sanders. Present location, Ind. Drive. First Deacon of 
this church Mr. Aaron Thomas; first mother of this church, Mrs. Sarah 
Thomas. Membership, 188. Present value of the church which is a brick 
structure, about $10,000. Rev. J. H. Sanders, pastor; Mrs. Lula Tyrus, 
clerk. 

The First A. M. E. Church in Tifton called Isabella Chapel was found¬ 
ed by the Rev. I. G. Glass who served as its first pastor. The church was 
located south of what is now the A. B. and C. Railroad. Other pastors: 
Rev. Edwards, Rev. C. O. Mitchell, Rev. Davis, Rev. E. B. Brown, Rev. 
S'. E. Crews. 

Allen Temple located on Allen Street was purchased by Mrs. Patsy 
Lassiter. Rev. Hightower served as its first pastor. After Isabella Chapel 
burned the members moved to Allen Temple. 

Other pastors: Rev. A. T. Tompkins, Rev. R. B. Sheffield, Rev. G. W. 
Robinson, Rev. J. W. Hall, Rev. C. P. Hobbs, Rev. S. M. Gilliard, Rev. 
I. N. Middleton, Rev. Lawrence, Rev. Randall, Rev. E. L. Miller, Rev. 
A. W. White, Rev. Cox, Rev. Gordon, Rev. Cole, Rev. R. W. Williams, 
Rev. Woods, Rev. Purcell, Rev. Grant, Rev. Lissimore, Rev. Gissentanne, 
Rev. N. F.. Fedd. 

Allen Temple was moved to its present location on South Park Avenue 
by the Rev. R. W. Williams. The value of church $7,000. The present 
pastor, Rev. James Debro. Membership, 150. Number of churches in town 
of this denomination, one. Type of church, brick veneered. 

Everett Temple Church was organized in 1908 at Phillipsburg with 12 
members. First pastor, Rev. N. T. Everett of Albany, Ga. Several pastors 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


347 


followed. Some are as follows: Rev. W. H. Pettigrue, Rev. C. W. Lawson, 
Rev. H. W. Armestor, Rev. N. T. Patterson, Rev. J. N. Davis, Rev. W. 
E. Brown, Rev. R. C. Magee, Rev. W. R. Smith, Rev. L. Barton, Rev. A. 
Bell, Rev. S. A. Thomas, Rev. N. T. Tenseley, Rev. M. C. Pettigrue. 
Present pastor is Rev. M. D. Davis with membership 148. Present value 
of church about $6,000. 

JOE REEVES 

Joe Reeves, janitor at the Tifton High School, is one of the best janitors 
in the state. He has worked at the Tifton High School for about a quarter 
of a century. During the w T ar Joe worked in a chemical laboratory in New 
Orleans and received certificates of distinction for meritorious labor. 

There w T as rejoicing among students and teachers at the Tifton High 
School when Joe returned last year. He is efficient and honorable in per¬ 
forming his tasks. 


CHAPTER XXVII 

TRUE TALES OF WIRE GRASS GEORGIA 
by J. L. Williams 


TIFTON’S FIRST TORNADO 
AND WHAT BROUGHT IT ABOUT 

In April, 1906, I manufactured building material in Tifton. I had in 
my employ as a cabinet maker a Baptist preacher, J. S. Weathers. He was 
a little past middle age and a much better looking man than the average. 
He was of fair personality and had better than a fair vocabulary. He 
lived in one of what we called at that time the knitting mill houses. The 
location was right where the big power station is now, just past the 
swimming pool. 

Weathers was a regular preacher at the Tifton Cotton Mill church. 
Many times he and I talked of his ministry at the mill. He told me the 
people were not responding to his preaching as he thought they should. He 
worried about it considerably. His answers to my questions lead me to 
believe that he was afraid to really speak out to his flock. 

At that time I had heard Sam Jones and the other leading evangelists 
of the country. With a view of helping Brother Weathers and his con¬ 
gregation I suggested that he let me write a sermon for him, and I sug- 
gestel that he study it and deliver it in the way I suggested. He readily 
agreed. Going into further details I wanted to know exactly what response 
came from it. The word used now is: the congregation’s reaction. He and 
I began to work out the details which were these: The sermon was to be 
delivered on Sunday night. I was to be on the outside of the church and 
just before beginning I was to enter. Then, the brother seeing me enter 
the church, and on account of my being his employer, he was to invite me 
up on the rostrum so I could look the congregation in the face for the 
reaction. 

Well, we were quite busy, time passed and the work was put oflt from 
day to day. 

During that time one day while sawing with a handsaw the saw jumped 
out of the wood and scratched the knuckle of my thumb. It was a minor 
scratch and went unnoticed until a couple of days when blood poison set 
in; it began to look very dangerous. The entire arm was swollen to double 
normal size. It was wrapped in cotton and kept wet with a liquid solution 
to counteract the poison. I had to hold that arm up with the other arm. 

At that time we had three small children. The youngest was less than a 
year old and the others just a little older. The middle one was down with 
typhoid fever at the time I got my hand hurt. He was growing worse day 


348 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


349 


by day and the swelling in my arm had reached into the shoulder. I was 
spending about half time at the shop and the other at the house helping 
with the sick and treating my hand. Weathers was working at the shop 
at the time. 

One day at the noon hour I was at home, which was on N. Central 
Avenue, the next block from the ice house. I was in great pain. The 
weather looked threatening. The sick child was pale and motionless. While 
I was walking the floor in the hall holding the poisoned arm with the 
other, I saw the blackest cloud I thought I had ever seen coming from the 
east. Suddenly there was a heavy downpour of rain, and more suddenly 
I heard something sound like a half dozen fast trains running; it was over 
in the direction of the Post Office. Getting to the front door I saw it was 
a tornado. I saw lumber, shingles and limbs flying through the air. I felt 
a great pressure against the house. The Presbyterian church then was 
located where the Touchstone family lives now. I saw the church go down. 
I rushed to the bed and took the sick child up with one hand and went to 
the door, telling the wife and another woman that was living in the house 
to get the others and get out. They had not seen what was going on out¬ 
side. They were alarmed only at me. They thought I had suddenly gone 
crazy. When I got to the door I saw the wind tearing up the barns on 
the alley behind the Julian and Paulk houses. Thinking it had passed I put 
the sick child back on the bed. The wind was in a great circle in the air, 
rolling over and over. Sweeping the ground and then rolling up about 200 
feet. There was a sash and door factory where Newton’s plumbing shop 
stands now. It had a metal roof. The roof was torn off. The smokestack 
was blown down across the steam pipe from the boiler to the engine. The 
escaping steam made the strangest and most distressing sound I had ever 
heard. On my looking out the second time I saw all that roofing, brick¬ 
bats, wood shingles and wagon wheels away up in the air and rolling back 
towards me. I ran for the sick child and told the women that it was com¬ 
ing back and to get ready and get out with the other children. 

When I got to the door that time I saw the four knitting mill houses 
blowing away. One was the preacher’s house. One man in one of the 
houses was pinned under and hurt badly but not killed. A calf was blown 
up and killed against the trees. The furniture and bed clothing of Preacher 
Weathers’ house as well as the others was in the top of the trees as far as 
Little River. 

During all that time Weathers was working at the shop, but left and 
went to the place where his house was, finding his wife unhurt he returned 
to the shop. When I got to the shop I found him packing his tools in his 
box. I asked what he intended to do. He said he was quitting, that he was 
going to the picture gallery and get the man there to go and make a picture 


350 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNT’. 


of the wreckage; he said further that he thought he could take the picture 
and start on an evangelistic tour and make some money. 

The next day he brought the picture and told me, with that in a revival 
he thought he could get such collections as was really due him. 

It was several months before I saw Weathers again. I asked, what luck? 
“Mighty poor, Brother William, mighty poor,” was his answer .He said it 
had been a good season for tornadoes, but on account of the time of year 
that the farmers were busy the attendance was off. 

Now fellers, don’t ever fool with a preacher by way of helping with a 
sermon, lest you start a big blow. 


TRIBUTE TO J. L. HERRING AT A MEMORIAL MEETING 
AT THE LIONS CLUB IN 1923 

Tifton Lions set aside all business and entertainment at the regular 
meeting Thursday and held an interesting memorial exercise in honor of 
the late J. L. Herring. 

Good talks were made by Dr. F. C. McConnell, Jr., W. B. Bennet, 
Roy Thrasher, M. C. Owen, John Etheredge, C. W. Fulwood. Mrs. H. 
H. Tift, and J. L. Williams. 

Tift County’s Greatest Man 

In his talk to the Lions, Mr. Williams said: 

“To my mind the greatest man in any community is the man that does 
the most good for the most people and does it in an unselfish way. That 
man in Tifton and Tift county was undoubtedly John L. Herring. 

“I had known Mr. Herring since 1898, and every year and day that I 
knew him he was the same big-hearted, genial gentleman that he was the 
last week of his life. I never saw him even begin to lose his head on any 
matter, and I knew him through times of peace and through two wars in 
which our country was engaged. 

“The time I saw him happiest was, perhaps, at the time of the last elec¬ 
tion of Woodrow Wilson to the presidency. He had worked and toiled for 
three or four days and nights, giving every detail of news as fast as the 
wires brought it. That night everybody was gathered about the corner at 
Brooks drugstore celebrating For some reason I felt that everybody want¬ 
ed to express some appreciation for the good work Mr. Herring had done 
for us; so I got on a soap box and stated that I would receive dollar bills, 
no more no less, from anybody that wanted to make up a purse to buy Mr. 
Herring a suit of clothes. The idea went like wild fire. I was swamped 
with bills. I asked the people to wait until I could get a man to make a 
list of the people that were giving. I got one man, then another, then an¬ 
other. All three failed to keep up with the inflow of money. So we do not 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


351 


know exactly who it was that contributed to this fund. Little did I think 
that the same suit would be saved for his burial. 

“I always knew that he was a genius, but could not think just wherein 
his mind was different until he wrote the ‘Saturday Night Sketches’ of 
Wire Grass Georgia forty years ago. After analyzing those stories, I 
came to the conclusion that he was a man with a photographic mind. I was 
convinced that he held in his mind’s gallery every picture of the impres¬ 
sive scenery and customs of the people of his boyhood days. He had one of 
those peculiar minds and memories that enabled him to close his eyes and 
review the scenes of 1880; where he could see and hear bleating calves 
and lambs on the rye. He could recall the scenery and doings of the little 
log school houses of his country in that day. He could see the line up at 
the old country church in every detail. He could see the long haired maiden 
and hear the strong voice of the horny handed preacher at the baptizing 
down in the old mill stream. 

“He died, it seems, at an untimely hour. But since thinking we find that 
a man can’t die at a time that is good for him and good for the people he 
leaves behind. God took him at a time that was best for him, for he will 
be remembered only as the powerful, genial, kind Editor, and not as an 
old, tottering man in the afternoon of life with his good works half for¬ 
gotten. Mr. Herring recorded with kind words, perhaps more births and 
deaths than any other man of his age. If there were a single rose petal laid 
upon his grave for every kind word he said, and for every good deed he 
did, he would rest today beneath a mountain of roses.” 


TIFTON’S FIRST RADIO STATION 

This, as well as the first filling station was started by Mr. J. L. Brooks, 
the corner druggist. 

It was in 1922 he raised the highest pole ever put up in the county. It 
stood right where the back part of Bowen’s Undertaking shop is now. It 
was the aerial. The radio was behind the prescription case of the same 
drugstore he now occupies. The aerial wire went from the back door of 
the store to the top of the pole. 

The loud speaker or amplifier had not arrived then. It was just a receiv¬ 
ing station. A private one, but the people made it public. 

Mr. Brooks was the announcer. When big news was expected many 
went to the drugstore. Mr. Brooks did the receiving by way of a double 
head phone from which a long cord went to a black box, one that looked 
like a big battery, that was the radio. 

Mr. Brooks sat in a chair and told us what was going on in distant 



352 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


places that we had heard was on the map. 

When the Dempsey-Firpo fight came on all that were of a sporting 
mind, crow r ded in behind the prescription case to hear the fight announced, 
round by round. 

Mr. Brooks being an admirer and follower of Dempsey went to work 
with great enthusiasm. Everything started off fine. We couldn’t hear what 
the radio said but Mr. Brooks could with the head phones, so he was an¬ 
nouncing it blow by blow. The fight was going just about as he could talk. 
He announced a knock down by Dempsey and in the same second he said, 
“Firpo is up. He’s down again. Again up and again down.” Then the 
announcer looked like he had been struck by lightning. He called out loud, 
“Dempsey is knocked out of the ring; friends are throwing him back in the 
ring. Firpo’s down, he’s up, he’s down. By that time the fight w T as going 
so fast and reckless he couldn’t tell it fast enough, so he jumped up from 
the chair and began to show us what was going on by swinging both right 
and left in every direction. We were terribly crowded in there but every¬ 
body gave the announcer and actor every bit of room they could spare; so 
as not to interrupt the proceedings. Had Firpo not gone down to stay 
when he did, several of us, would have probably gone down. 

One time all stations were notified to listen for a certain program to 
come from London at a certain time. Then, Mr. Brooks pepped up and 
tuned in at the appointed time. The program could be heard well enough 
to understand it was from London but no better. That, we believe to be 
the first radio communication received in Tifton from across the Atlantic. 

The radio cost $50.00. Later when amplifiers came out one w r as bought 
at $75.00 to attach to the $50.00 radio. 


TIFTON’S FIRST AUTOMOBILE 
TIFTON’S FIRST FILLING STATION 

The first automobile owned by a Tifton citizen was brought in to the 
town the first part of 1902 or 40 years ago. Its owner was J. E. Johns 
(livery stable man). It was a one-cylinder Cadillac. Inside room for driver 
and four passengers. It was painted red; well upholstered and looked good. 
Didn’t have any cover of any kind above the seats. Entrance to the front 
seat was from the side; no doors. The entrance to the back seats was 
through a door at the back of the car. 

It was used to carry people pleasure riding about town at a rate of 25c 
or 35c per hour. That auto met the trains and carried people to any part 
of town for 25c per person. The car cost $1,100. 

About a year after this first car our well known druggist, Dr. J. L. 
Brooks, brought to town a Rambler roadster, 2 passengers. It was a little 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


353 


lighter and more streamlined than the Cadillac. It cost $1,000. Prior to 
that a well known firm, Gorman and Jefferies, made bicycles called the 
Rambler. They changed to making autos but held the name Rambler. The 
Rambler factory and name was bought by a Mr. Nash. 

The car Mr. Brooks had would have been fine on the roads and streets 
we have now. It looked about as well as the present cars. Road conditions 
were bad, which subjected a car to sudden and unusual strains. All cars 
were chain driven then. One chain beginning at the motor which was under 
the center of the body of the car. The chain went to the rear axle. 

When Dr. Brooks got into the country in heavy sand and hot weather his 
chain usually broke. The ruts in the sand were real deep and this put the 
car close to the ground. There was nothing to do but to crawl under the 
car and fix the chain. The Doctor weighed 230 and from the fact of the 
motor being hot and greasy and the sand hot, which together made him 
hot, he could never find as much room as he needed under there to make 
the repairs. 

There were no garages then; cars were stored in the livery stables. The 
Doctor put up with all these inconveniences for two years and then sold 
the struggle buggy to a medical doctor in Fitzgerald for $800.00. 

In those first days of the cars there were inconveniences about buying 
gas and oil. At first only the drugstores sold gasoline, and that was in very 
small quantities. It was sold only for clothes cleaning. 

Dr. Brooks was never a fellow to put up with inconveniences. So, he 
put up a pump on a vacant lot near his store and ordered gas. By that 
time some other cars had come in the town, so that pump was Tifton’s first 
filling station. There were lots of horse racks on the lot and many times 
when gas was wanted it was not unusual to find a horse or team of mules 
hitched to the gas pump. 

I almost forgot to tell the price of gas. Wholesale price was 3c per gal¬ 
lon ; retail price from the pump was 5c per gallon, no tax. 

I might say here that one of those single cylinder cars on our paved roads 
at 25 miles an hour would take next to no gas at all. 


WHEN TIFTON WAS DRY 

Back in the fall of 1898 the women of the Tifton Baptist Church 
thought they should by all means have a missionary to represent their 
church—which was new and young at that time—in the foreign fields. 

They lit upon what they believed to be a very apt young gentleman. One 
that had been an enthusiastic attendant at all the various kinds of meetings 
held at the church. One that saw eye to eye with the entire feminine mem¬ 
bership. 



354 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


This young fellow was sent to Boston, Mass., for special training in a 
school there that trained workers for the foreign fields. But, the night 
before the day of his going a merry, get-to-gether festival was held to cele¬ 
brate his departure. No, there was no drinking at the meeting, not even 
coffee. Tifton was dry then. It was 05'ster stew night. 

The young man left and arrived in Boston on schedule. He reported at 
intervals regarding progress, which statements were true and satisfactory. 
The training course was finished in late December of that year, 1898. 

He arrived back in Tifton on Christmas Eve. The plans were to start 
him foreign, about ten days later. On Christmas morning, the day after 
his arrival, he was invited out by his friends and former associates to their 
home. With a desire to give him a royal welcome they had egg-nog in 
abundance. He joined in wholeheartedly and did his bit. No one took too 
much. The people were of fine character and members of the Baptist 
Church; some of them are here now. 

By the next day this young fellow had heard so much unfavorable news 
about himself that he didn’t feel able to face the women that had sent 
him to Boston. He hung his head and strode away. 

That fellow was a Western Union telegraph operator at that time. He 
gave up a good position to make that venture. 


THE KEY MAN OF TIFTON IN 1899 

One bright morning in 1899 we found in Tifton a strange nice looking 
tall, slender young man arranging to put on a one-man show the following 
night in Bowen’s Opera House. 

In order to advertise some of his unusual abilities, he proposed to find the 
key to any post office box hidden in any place in town. He proposed further 
to allow anyone selected to blindfold him as securely as they saw fit, and 
while thus blindfolded he would drive a team of horses from a livery stable 
in search of the key and when found drive directly to the post office while 
blindfolded and unlock the box that the key was made to fit, the first time 
without trying the key on any box other than the one it was made for. His 
proposition was promptly accepted. News went out over the town that the 
drive would begin at 3 :oo p.m. 

J. E. Johns was the livery stable man and the stable was located on the 
lot now occupied by Buck Blalock’s pool room on Main street. The post 
office was in the store room now occupied by Mr. Pittman’s Firestone store. 
J. M. Duff was the postmaster. 

At 3:00 p.m. Mr. Johns had two horses hitched to a buggy—the key 
man was there. He was blindfolded with a big black cloth. Mr. Johns 
went along to hold the horses while the man was hunting the key. The 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


355 


key man did the driving. Mr. Johns did not help him in any way. The 
people of the town were lined up along the sidewalks waiting for the drive. 
In a few minutes the blindfolded man came driving the two-horse buggy 
team up Main street at top speed. Holding his hands high so the people 
could see that he was doing the driving. He continued out Love Avenue 
and in front of the home of Senator Susie T. Moore he stopped the horses 
suddenly and while Mr. Johns held the horses the man hurried through 
the yard and back in the garden where a board fence was being rebuilt; he 
turned over two or three boards while blindfolded, picked up the key and 
hurried back to the buggy—took up the lines—turned the team around 
and drove at top speed to the post office—got out—hurried in and un¬ 
locked the box the key was made for—hurried out and took Mr. Johns and 
the team back to the livery stable. 

It won’t be any use to ask me how he did it. 


THE PROGRESSIVE MINISTER 
THE MODEL YOUNG MAN AND BILLY 

This was in Tifton in 1900. The minister was the Reverend C. G. Dil- 
worth of the First Baptist church. I have forgotten the model young man’s 
name. He was of nice size—slightly of the strawberry blond type—medium 
personality. He worked in the corner drugstore. He had lived in Tifton 
only a few weeks. He was the right-hand man of the minister. Rev. Dil- 
worth had built two or three very small church buildings on the outskirts 
of town. One was in Edgewood. It was called the Edgewood Mission. 
Some kinds of services were held at these outposts every Sunday as well as 
at the regular church. Both the preacher and the model j^oung man were 
busy all day every Sunday. The model young man got into the good graces 
of the preacher early after he arrived here by volunteering his service in 
any way the preacher might need him, so he was used to supply two or 
more of the outposts every Sunday. He was undenominational. He stopped 
and offered his services to other churches; sometimes accepted. Altogether 
he was a real handy fellow, as there was more of that kind of work here 
at that time than there were workers. 

The young man was very popular with all the people of the town, ex¬ 
cept the other young men about his age. Outside of his church activities he 
did quite a bit of courting. Another young fellow here at that time said 
the girls were plum fools about him. That accounted for his unpopularity 
with the young gentry of the town. Another reason why he was, his asso¬ 
ciation almost altogether with the elderly gentlemen and of his hi-hatting 
the younger ones. Also, it was these elderly gentlemen of the town that had 
most of the world’s goods. They were the ones he liked best. After the 



356 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


young man had become quite efficient in his line, the minister, Rev. Dil- 
worth, wrote a rather lengthy article for the local paper telling of the 
young man’s good qualifications and the value he was to the town, and 
especially of how much help he was to him in the work of the church. He 
finished the article by calling him a model young man, and that he, the 
minister, sincerely hoped to see the other young men of the town follow 
after him. 

The second Saturday night after the article in the paper, the model 
young man went among those elderly gentlemen of the town that had most 
of the wealth and had each one cash a check for him. I never learned the 
amounts but none were real large, but they were numerous, for he al¬ 
ways liked a large congregation. Needless to say that he didn’t have enough 
money in the bank to cash the first one. The south end of the A. B. & C. 
Railroad was then the Tifton, Thomasville & Gulf. A passenger train left 
every morning at 7 :oo o’clock for Thomasville. Sunday morning after that 
Saturday night the young man left on that train. He connected with an¬ 
other train at Thomasville for the west. The first thing we younger fellows 
thought about was the preacher’s wish that many others would follow after 
him. We checked up on who was here and who was not here. We found 
that the pracher’s article was not entirely without results, for one young 
man, named Billy, followed after the model. Billy was born and reared 
in Tifton. He had always worked at the Tifton Planing mill. He was 
rather short of stature with black hair and blue eyes. Billy went away in 
a brand new spring suit for it was early in the spring of the year. He wore 
a new black derby hat. The two traveled due west from Thomasville to 
the Pacific coast as fast as the trains could run and connect. Arriving at 
the coast the model turned abruptly to the north. The turn was too quick 
for Billy. He got knocked loose at that point. We younger fellows had no 
regret of the model’s leaving, but we were worried about Billy. He had 
been popular with all the people, old and young, especially with the older 
men that worked at the Tift mill. They had more hope of Billy getting 
back than we younger fellows had. Just in front and at the edge of the 
sidewalk of the first house east of the home now occupied by Amos Tift 
and family, there was a big open well, the first to be dug in Tifton. It had 
real good water. Capt. Tift always said: “If they ever drink water a few 
weeks at that old well and go away, they will come back.” That was our 
only hope of ever seeing Billy again. We remembered how T nice he looked 
in that new suit and derby. We went through the long summer months 
holding that picture in our minds. 

So in the late fall of that year when the days were short and cooler, 
one afternoon when the sun was down below the tops of the trees, we 
saw something coming in the road from the west. Several went out to look 
and with shaded eyes we discovered it was Billy. The word quickly went 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


357 


around the block. All came out to the edge of the street and waited. Billy 
walked up slowly and leaned against a telephone pole. His suit was faded 
and tattered; he looked five years older; the soles of his shoes were gone; 
the uppers were none too good; the derby that went away so crisp and new 
was dented in here and there, it had turned green from the weather and 
was frazzled on the edge. Billy was really tired. A gentleman, Mr. John 
Pope who had worked at the mill and known Billy from infancy, said: 
“Billy, my boy, in your depressed condition, what is the first thing you will 
have us do for you?” Billy answered and said: “Give me a drink of water 
from the old well and go and tell that preacher that I followed his advice 
as long as I could.” 

Now off the story I wish to remind the readers of an article in the Free 
Press last year where I wrote about Uncle Josh when he told us 50 years 
ago. He.said, “Boys, don’t ever swap horses with the fellow that gets to 
church on Sunday ahead of all the others and shakes hands with all that 
come.” 


THE HORNED NEGRO OF TIFTON 

A citizen of Tifton that lived here in the year 1897 and part of the years 
immediately after 1897 traveled over the country showing a young negro 
man with horns. The horns were about four inches long. The Tifton 
showman claimed the young horned negro was right out of the wilds of 
Africa. Two or three other white men went along with the show. The 
band of showmen went into the St. Louis World’s Fair at its beginning in 
1904. They kept their show going almost to the end of the fair, at which 
time all parties connected with the show while drinking got into an argu¬ 
ment over the division of funds and in a free for all fight knocked the 
horns off the negro and that broke up the show and organization. 

The origin of the horns was this way: The Tifton citizen had taken 
the horns off a calf. He split the skin on the negro’s head in two places 
and attached the horns to the skull in the hair above the forehead in proper 
or natural position. The hair after that was never cut. With the hair 
growing around the horns the appearance was perfectly natural which 
made the subject look extremely wild. 


CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR OFFICE 

In the first election in Tift county a business man of Tifton ran for 
one of the county offices on what he called a sensible business-like plan. 
He said there was no use for continuous hand shaking and lobbying 
around with the voters. He copied all the names of the registered voters 




358 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


in a little book and began to call on the voters by that list. Everyone that 
he interviewed that promised to vote for him he checked o.k. in the book. 
When he had the promises of a substantial majority of the registered voters 
marked o.k. he quit the drive and returned to his place of business. There 
were 21 registered voters at the precinct of Brookfield; 20 promised to vote 
for him; one voter being out of the county that day of the canvass, he did 
not see that one. 

After the election the candidate counted the number of votes promised 
and the number received. Brookfield gave him one vote and 20 against. 
Needless to say the candidate lost by a substantial majority. 


HOW THE FIRST SESSION OF SUPERIOR COURT 
OF TIFT COUNTY WAS PAID FOR 

The county was created in 1905 in mid-summer. The people had given 
in taxes in the other counties and had to pay in the other counties. 

In the fall of that year a term of superior court was held. Judge Mitchell 
of Thomasville and Solicitor W. E. Thomas of Valdosta were the high 
officers. As the session was coming to a close the jury had to be paid as 
well as other expenses. There was not as much as a dime in the treasury. 
A way had to be found to pay off. Some one or more gentlemen reported 
about eight of the high lights of the town for gaming. They were mostly 
members of the bar in the courtroom. Charges were brought quickly and 
one by one was called to stand up. They pled guilty and received fines from 
$50.00 to $100.00 each. In a few minutes there was money in the treasury. 


CITY ELECTION FOR MAYOR 

In an election in the early days of Tifton for Mayor there were two 
candidates, one a livery stable man, the other a former mayor, lawyer and 
smooth politician. The livery stable man had never run for office before. 
He didn’t canvass for votes; he depended upon his announcement only. On 
the morning of the day of the election before the voting began the former 
mayor told the livery stable man that it had long been the custom that 
when two gentlemen were running for the same office the polite way was 
for each one to vote for the other and not vote for themselves. The livery 
stable man readily agreed to abide by the long established custom and voted 
for the other candidate. In the vote counting there was not a singlt vote in 
the box for the livery stable man. 




HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


359 


WHEN TIFTON HAD 17 LAWYERS AND ONE PREACHER 

It was about the year 1910 the town council bought a road roller, entirely 
on credit. It was a gasoline tractor with two real heavy wide rollers for 
smoothing the streets. It didn’t work very well; so the population soon began 
to call the machine the “dummy.” Criticism of the council for buying the 
dummy was running high. Public sentiment was about to declare the dum¬ 
my a nuisance. The council were anxious to get it back where it came 
from without paying. A way had to be found. The 17 lawyers in a meet¬ 
ing found that the city council did not have legal authority to buy anything 
except necessary supplies for running the town; so the dummy had to go 
back home. 

The lone preacher was a frail Methodist minister named Whiting. 


BIG HOG DAN WALKER 

There was a citizen of Tift County that raised the largest hogs so far 
as is known in the world. It was Dan Walker that lived two miles north 
of Tifton. It was during the years of 1900 to 1910. The hogs weighed from 
1,250 to 1,683 pounds. Several weighed 1,600 and 1,683. They were ex¬ 
hibited at the state fairs in Macon. At one time two were driven from the 
Walker farm drawing a two horse wagon into Tifton and back to the 
farm. In color the hogs w T ere a pale red, nearly yellow. The hair was ex¬ 
tremely coarse. They reached top weight at seven years old. 

The writer was on the farm at one time when Mr. Walker was feed¬ 
ing the hogs. To show me the strength of their backs he and a half grown 
son sat on the back of one of the hogs while he walked around and ate 
corn. Mr. Walker weigher 165 pounds and the son half that much. There 
was no difference in the way the hog walked with or without the load. 

Mr. Walker was very conservative in his claims for his hogs. I was 
in his tent on the fair grounds at Macon and found that he represented the 
hog as weighing 1,600 pounds while that one weighed 1,683. 

No one knew of the hogs being of any special breed. Mr. Walker 
claimed that he grew them to the enormous size with some kind of tonic 
of his own formula. Mr. Walker died about 1925. 


GRAMMAR SCHOOL BLOCK 

WHEN THE CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN 

The greatest of all shows that ever came to Tifton was about the year 
1904 when the John Robinson Shows came and opened up with the great 
drama of The Queen of Sheba arriving at Jerusalem riding in her chariot 
drawn by four snow white horses with all her servants and attendants. She 




360 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


was met first by one hundred of Solomon’s wives with their maids and 
attendants; everyone of the wives was nice looking, slender, and taller than 
the average of women. Everyone walked unusually erect and dressed in 
the best Oriental style. All appeared to be Syrians; no real blonds or bru¬ 
nettes. 

Then at the meeting the leading man of Ethiopia introduced the Queen 
to the leading lady of Solomon’s wives; she in turn introduced the other 
ninety-nine wives collectively to the Queen. Next the leading lady of 
Solomon’s wives introduced the Queen’s leading man of Ethiopia to King 
Solomon, he in turn introduced the Queen of Ethiopia to the King. Then 
there was a great march around the four show rings, which carried the great 
parade around in front of every seat in the tent. The King and the visiting 
Queen together wearing their crowms with all gold and silver braid and 
other decorations that could be had in the time of 700 years B.C. The 
hundred of Solomon’s wives marched about six abreast following the 
chariot of the King and Queen drawn by the four snow white horses. 

Altogether it was the greatest of all the shows visiting Tifton from its 
founding through 1947. 


JOHN H. SPARKS, OLD VIRGINIA 

Railroad shows came about 1902; it was before the days of electric 
lights in Tifton. The tent was pitched on the first block east of Fifth 
Street and South of Main. 

There was nothing so unusual about the circus except a baby elephant 
born two weeks before at Quitman, Georgia. The baby’s skin looked as 
tough as its thirty-year-old mother. The weight of the little one was 200 
pounds. It was just small enough to walk under the mother. 

The Tifton people leaving the show was the unusual part of it. The 
show had some sort of lighting system of its own. Just as the show was 
over and a few of the people had gotten outside the tent in the dark, the 
lights from some poor connection went out. Someone asked “What’s the 
matter?” The answer was “The lights are out.” That was misunderstood 
to be “The lions are out.” Everyone made a wild scramble to get away 
and towards their homes as fast as possible. Those that did not hear the 
first report asked w T hat the wild scramble was about. The answer w T as, 
“The lions are out.” They joined in the race. Down on the next block 
where Tift Avenue crosses Fifth Street was a swampy branch. There 
were lots of people at the circus that lived over past the big Tift sawmills. 
The location now is the Tifton Laundry. The nearest way home for those 
people was across that swampy branch. When the crowd of runners got in 
that branch the thought came to their minds that a swamp was where the 



HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 361 

lions would go when they were out. Everything went into a higher gear 
which soon put them north of Second Street in what they thought was the 
safety zone. 


THE VANAMBERG SHOWS 

The Vanamberg shows came to Tifton only one time. It was about the 
year 1905. On the lot now stands the grammar school building and 
grounds. It was at that time the athletic field and show grounds. Rain fell 
all day long, so much there was no show. The show people succeeded in get¬ 
ting up the main tent and in it they spent the day. The horses were of the 
very finest. All animals and equipment were in excellent condition. 

The only unusual thing with the circus was the lamb and the lion in 
the same cage. It was an ordinary yew sheep and a female lion. Both ap¬ 
peared contented and pleased with surroundings. Read Isaiah, 11-&. 


WHEN LIFE BEGAN FOR ME 
SOME PEOPLE I HAVE MET 
Maisy Fields 

I have heard a lot about a book on the subject: “Life Begins at Forty.” 
I have never read it. An old man once manager of a Philadelphia Ball 
Club, in a magazine article after he was 73, said life began for him at 70 
years old. So it seems that it can begin at most any age. 

I started to school I think a year younger than children are started here 
at this time. I remember going a few times with the older ones as a visitor. 
I had nothing to do there and I thought it would always be that way; so 
I insisted on going regular, and they let me go. Soon I was given lessons 
and told to study. I didn’t know how to study because I had forgotten 
what the names of the letters were and all I could do was sit there and try 
to remember the names she called them. I was very much displeased for the 
rest of the term. 

I base the younger age on the fact that I was youngest in the school that 
first term, and at the beninning of the next term several beginners came in 
of my same age. 

One that came in of my age from the other end of the road was a little 
girl named Maisy Fields. She had brown eyes the same as mine and black 
curly hair the same as mine except hers hung down her back in curls. We 
were exactly the same size and the same age. She was very timid and in 
that respect I was next to her. The first day she attended school she put 
her arms down on the desk and with her face on her arms she cried all day. 




362 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


I spent half my time looking at her in hopes that she might get over it. The 
next da ) 7 she came and did the same way all day and I did very little ex¬ 
cept look at her in great sympathy. I was worried, there was gloom and dis¬ 
couragement on every side. On the third morning she came in and took 
up where she left off the afternoon before. No one in the school room 
seemed to pay any attention. I looked at her and out the window. There 
were clouds everywhere. One time she looked up and I noticed her eyes 
were red, her hair all tangled. She gave me a sad look and buried her face 
in her arms again on the desk. I looked out the window and it seemed that 
I would never see the sun shine again. At last at the end of the day she 
looked up and around over the room. No one saw her except me. She 
seemed to know, of the many, there was one soul in sympathy. 

The fourth day was much like the third except she looked up and over 
the room two or three times more. Every time, she found me looking in 
great sympathy. To me the world was growing darker and filling up with 
gloom and sorrow. At the end of that day on leaving she took a good look 
at me. She looked tired and worried. On the fifth day she began to look 
around more. Always in my direction. Meanwhile for me the whole world 
had grown very tired but at last she looked up and found no one looking 
but me. That time I saw the sweetest smile I thought I had ever seen. Her 
face went right down on the desk in her arms; but it seemed to me I 
heard the gates of heaven swing ajar. I thought I heard the angels come 
out and with their great white wings paint the clouds with sunshine. All 
the world seemed bright and cherry. The birds came out and sang better 
than I had ever heard before. My heart in a few hours grew to enormous 
size. 

I was six and she the same. I cannot recall that I had ever heard the 
word sweetheart. I had never had a sister. I had never been about girls. 
They were, or she was a wonderful thing to me. As the days went by 
smiles continued in school and out. No words were spoken. In playing 
outside, w T hen the bell rang I looked over to see where she was and always 
in running in I happened to be going up the steps at the same time with her. 

One day when there were few around we happened to stop and look 
square into each other’s eyes. No eyes ever looked deeper. Not a word w r as 
spoken, but she seemed to say: “How t am I ever to repay you for your 
sympathy when I was in so much trouble?” From my heart without 
speaking came these words: “That is all right, I see how you feel. Now, 
henceforth and forever, we will travel the road together and when I pull 
a great play on life’s stage, your part shall ever be to smile a smile for me.” 

She was as kind and sweet as the roses she loved. After that in walking 
the road in spring time as the sun rose I could see the sparkling dew bright¬ 
en the honeysuckle and dogwood blooms. All the birds seemed to sing the 
song of real love. So it was, when Maisy Fields smiled a smile for me and 
I learned that it was for beauty and love that the world was made; it 
was then that life began for me. 


CHAPTER XXVIII 
PIONEERS 
APPRECIATION 

Thanks be to God who has strengthened me to write. It is my hope and 
prayer that what is written may be acceptable to Him, and to His glory. 

Thanks also are expressed to many who were helpful to me. Some are 
living, some are dead. I am grateful to each. Among these are: 

The Tifton Gazette; Smada, Lucian Lamar Knight, Walter G. Coop¬ 
er, White, Hugh Jones, William Fleming, William Henderson, Mrs. 
W. P. Cobb, Mary Jones and Lily Reynolds, J. V. Chapman; my late 
grandmother, Cecilia Matilda Baynard Willingham; my late parents, 
Dr. and M rs. W. L. Pickard; my late aunt, Bessie W. Tift; my kins¬ 
woman, Mrs. Julia Bacon Osborne; Senator Susie Tillman Moore, Kath¬ 
erine Tift Jones, Cassie Tift Bacon, Mrs. J. J. Golden, Miss Laura Guest, 
Mrs. J. G. Padrick, Miss Florence Padrick, Miss Lizzie Fulwood, Mrs. 
Holmes Murray, Mrs. Albert Foster, Mrs. W. W. Banks, Mrs. Briggs 
Carson, Sr., Mrs. N. Peterson, Mrs. John Peterson, Mrs. Peggy Martin, 
Mrs. B. F. Pickett, Mrs. Luna Warren Pitts, Mrs. George Washington 
Peters. 

Mrs. Annie Bennett, Mrs. Willingham Tift, Mrs. Amos Tift, Miss 
Eugenia Allen; my aunt, Mrs. Pearl Myers; the late Mrs. E. P. Bowen, 
Sr.; the late Mrs. W. T. Hargrett, Miss Leola Greene, Mrs. J. M. Paulk, 
Mrs. C. B. Holmes, Mrs. Sarah Willingham Griffin, Mrs. Ralph John¬ 
son, Miss Rosa Corry, Mrs. W. T. Smith; my sisters, Mrs. Ralph Edward 
Bailey and Mrs. Roland Harrison; Mrs. George W. Coleman, Mrs. Min¬ 
nie Youmans Spires, Mrs. P. D. Fulwood, Mrs. Arch McCrea, Mrs. R. 
M. Kennon, Mrs. J. E. Cochran, Mrs. Raleigh Eve, Mrs. Arjane Fletch¬ 
er, Mrs. Lou Greene. Mrs. R. H. McMillan, Mrs. R. H. Hall, Sr., Mrs. 
W. L. Harman; the late Mrs. W. H. Hendricks, Mrs. J. T» Mathis, Mrs. 
Lois Carter Smith; the late Miss Verna Parker, Mrs. Mary Belle Scar- 
boro Scott, Mrs. Eugene Slack, Miss Helen Spurlin, Mrs. Homer Meade 
Rankin, Mrs. Luna Rigdon, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Gaulding, Mrs. W. B. 
Hitchcock, Miss Eloise Roughton, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Williams. 

Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Webb, Miss Ida Belle Williams; the late Lilia 
Forrester; Judge Raleigh Eve, Homer Carmichael, T. E. Phillips, Sr.; 
the late E. P. Bowen, Sr.; Lennon Bowen, Jim Bowen; the late H. H. 
Tift, Jr.; Willingham Tift, Amos Tift; the late Dr. Silas Starr; Dr. 
George King, Boozer Culpepper; my kinsman, Lenwood Pickard; my late 
kinsman, Dr. James T. Ross, of Macon; my kinsman, Thomas Ellis; 
Ben Golden, Frank Smith, C. C. Guest, J. J. Golden; Judge Phillip 
Kelly and his secretaries; W. J. Warren, Sheriff James Walker, Robert 
Choate, Sam Lassiter, Dr. W. H. Hendricks, S. A. Youmans, J. D. Pad¬ 
rick, L. C. Hall, Ben McLeod, Clem Carson, Elias Webb, Henry Love, 
Professor S. L. Lewis, F. O. Bullington, J. B. Davis, Jeff Mathis, E. P. 
Bowers, T. W. Tift, City of Tifton, County of Tift, Mrs. Pearl Myers, 
Mrs. Robert A. Balfour, Harry Hornbuckle, and G. B. Phillips. 

(Signed) E. Pickard, 

Author of Tift County Pioneers. 


363 



364 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


PIONEERS 

by Elizabeth Pickard Karsten 

BENJAMIN THOMAS ALLEN 
Founder of the Tifton Gazette 

Benjamin Thomas Allen, born February 23 , 1852 , in Thomas County on 
the Georgia-Florida line, was one of five children of James Allen and Martha 
G. Whitaker Allen, both of whom died at Valdosta. Benjamin’s brothers were 
Sam, Walter and George. His sister was Mary Elizabeth. 

Admitted to the bar when young, Allen early became more interested in 
newspaper work and wrote for the Valdosta Times. Next he wrote for the 
Savannah Morning News when it was owned by Col. J. H. Estill. Later Allen 
wrote for Florida newspapers in Madison, in Crescent City and in St. Augus¬ 
tine. 

While living in Crescent City Allen, on Wednesday, December 29 , 1886 , 
married Susan, daughter of Captain and Mrs. Amon De Laughter, of Madi¬ 
son, Florida, the ceremony taking place at Mosley Hall, Florida. 

Mrs. Oren Gatchell, of Tifton, was Lelia De Laughter (or De Laughtre). 

In 1888 B. T. Allen became owner and editor of the Berrien County Pio¬ 
neer, at Sparks, Georgia. About this time Mr. Allen and his wife were among 
the approximate dozen charter members of the Tifton Baptist Church. In 
October, 1891 , Allen moved to Tifton and here established the Tifton Ga¬ 
zette, which he owned and edited until 1895 , when he sold the paper. 

Allen was active in Tifton municipal affairs. June 1 , 1891 , upon resigna¬ 
tion of J. I. Clements, B. T. Allen was elected to succeed Mr. Clements on 
city council. On September 7 , 1891 , Allen, H. H. Tift, and J. C. Goodman 
were named to serve as a committee to suggest method of naming Tifton 
streets. He served faithfully on numerous committees until he left Tifton. 

The last issue of the Gazette published by Mr. Allen and edited by him 
was on Friday, May 10 , 1895 . The firm of Baldridge and Fulwood later organ¬ 
ized the Gazette Publishing Company. On February 1 , 1895 John Lewis Her¬ 
ring came to the Gazette as advertising and collection man. In January, 1898 
a controlling interest in the Gazette was sold to W. H. Park, of Macon, and 
John W. Geer, who operated the paper a few months. Park later sold his 
interest to J. L. Herring and Briggs Carson, Sr. Mr. Carson sold to J. L. 
Herring who, many years afterward, on September 14 , 1914 issued the first 
copy of the Daily Tifton Gazette, the first daily paper in Georgia to be 
published in a town the size of Tifton. 

After selling the Gazette, Mr. Allen for a time operated his job printing 
establishment in Tifton but in 1897 , after having been here six years, moved 
to Pearson where he practiced law. 

In 1915 Mr. Allen resumed his writing. He bought and became editor of 
the Pearson Tribune which he owned and edited until three years prior to 
his death at the age of eighty. He died on July 2 , 1932 , at his home in Pear¬ 
son. Mrs. Allen had died soon after the Allens left Tifton. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


365 


He gave about fifty years of his life to newspaper work and was widely 
known in South Georgia and Florida. 

“Bee Tree Allen” was the name by which Benjamin Allen was called by 
his Tifton friends, because his initials were “B. T.” and he had a habit of 
walking with his head thrown back as if looking for a bee tree. He was 
greatly beloved and highly esteemed by a wide circle of friends. 

Mr. and Mrs. Allen had one daughter, Eugenia De Laughter Allen. Miss 
Allen is a music teacher of ability and also is society editress of the Pearson 
Tribune. 


JOSEPH JACKSON BAKER 
Tift County Ordinary, 1919-1936 

Joseph Jackson Baker, son of T. Allen Baker and Nancy Griner Baker, 
was born near Sparks, Georgia, October 27 , 1856 . At twenty-one, he left 
Berrien, now Cook and went to Ty Ty where he worked in W. E. Williams’s 
store for seven years and was assistant postmaster and express agent. 

On March 13 , 1881 , Joseph J. Baker married Sarah Jane Taylor, eighteen- 
year-old daughter of Mrs. Nancy Taylor, whose husband had been killed in 
the War Between the States. 

Mr. Baker bought and lived at a farm one mile east of Ty Ty for several 
years. He then bought and for nineteen years lived at the Luke place, west of 
Little River. Next he lived for about ten years at the W. W. Williams place, 
which he owned, a mile north of Ty Ty. He was living there when he was 
elected to fill the unexpired term of Tift County’s first ordinary, C .W. Graves, 
who died while in office, in 1919 . 

Mr. Baker was a member of the Ty Ty Primitive Baptist Church, and for 
eight years was a member of the Tift County Board of Education, which 
position he resigned in order to make the race as ordinary. He served as 
ordinary of Tift County continuously from 1919 until his death, August 27 , 
1936 , at his home where he had been living for several years. 

Joseph Jackson Baker was a charter member of the Tifton Primitive Bap¬ 
tist Church, and his funeral was held there, August 28 , his pastor, Elder W. 
C. Kicklighter conducting the service, and Dr. F. Orion Mixon, pastor of the 
Tifton First Baptist Church asssiting. Burial was in the Tifton cemetery. 

Mrs. Baker, J. J.’s widow, was elected to serve out his unexpired term as 
ordinary, and thus served. She was succeeded by Mrs. Mary Emma Rigdon, 
who defeated ten men opponents and preceded Judge Phillip Kelley, now 
in office. 


WILLIAM WALTER BANKS 
and 

MARY EVELYN TOWNS BANKS 

William Walter Banks, born in Griffin, Georgia, February 24 , 1874 , son of 
John Thomas Banks, planter, born in Forsyth, Georgia, and Mary Ann Rooks 


366 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Banks, born in Griffin, moved when two years old, with his parents to 
Senoia, Coweta County, Georgia, where he grew up. There he was for eight 
years with a farmers’ supply house, M. H. Couch & Co. 

At Senoia, on June 10 , 1896 William Walter Banks married Alary Evelyn 
Towns, winsome and beautiful daughter of Jarrell Oliver Towns and Sarah 
Elizabeth Barnes Towns, daughter of William C. Barnes, merchant, of Ver¬ 
mont, one of the founders of Senoia, and Elizabeth Pope Barnes, of Wash¬ 
ington, Wilkes County, Georgia. 

Winsome Mary, who had graduated at a Jacksonville, Florida, college of 
music where she was under Madam Armelini, was possessed of a rich and 
sweet voice. Her gift of song, her beauty and her charm and W. W.’s busi¬ 
ness ability and likeable personality combined to make them unusually well 
liked from the beginning of their residence in Tifton where they came in 
March of 1897 , three years after the founding of the Bank of Tifton, of 
which Mr. Banks was at first a bookkeeper, then cashier, and then vice-presi¬ 
dent. The vice-presidency he continued to hold until 1917 , when he left 
Tifton to become vice-president of the Third National Bank, now the Citi¬ 
zens and Southern, of Atlanta. During the time that Banks was vice-president 
of the Bank of Tifton, H. H. Tift, the founder of Tifton, was president of 
the bank, and they were warm personal friends. The Bank of Tifton at that 
time had the largest surplus in proportion to its capital stock of any bank 
in Georgia and the stock was worth over $ 1,000 per share. 

In 1905 the Banks built the house which is now the Tifton First Baptist 
Church parsonage, W. H. Spooner, of Tifton, being contractor. Here the 
Banks lived for many years, and this home was the scene of many beautiful 
and delightful parties. Here was ever a gracious hospitality. 

The Banks were loyal Baptists. It is said that, next to H. H. Tift, Mr. 
Banks was the church’s most generous giver. Mrs. Banks taught a Sunday 
School class, and she sang in the choir. 

Mrs. Banks also engaged in club work. She organized the Tifton Campfire 
Girls, and the Tifton History Club, Also, she and a friend, Airs. William 
Walker, were largely responsible for the organization of the Tifton Twentieth 
Century Library Club, whose initial meeting was scheduled to be held at 
Mrs. Banks’ home. Mrs. Banks was taken ill and persuaded Airs. Eddie Tift 
to open her home to the invited group, which Mrs. Tift graciously did. 

From October 5 , 1908 to 1914 William Walter Banks was mayor of Tif¬ 
ton, succeeding Mayor Sam M. Clyatt, resigned. During Banks’s term of 
office the town steadily grew and its affairs prospered. He was followed by 
Dr. W. H. Hendricks as mayor of Tifton. 

After years of residence elsewhere, Mr. and Mrs. Banks in 1936 returned to 
Tifton, where Mr. Banks organized the Farmers’ Bank of Tifton. However, 
many beloved friends of former days had passed from the scene, W. W. 
Banks’s strength was impaired, health was failing. Death occurred on Janu¬ 
ary 28 , 1938 . Burial was in his boyhood home, Senoia, which also was the 
scene of his marriage to winsome Mary. She still makes her home in Tifton 
where she is greatly beloved and where she blesses many by her gift of song, 
especially when there is sorrow. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


367 


ANNIE FOGLER BENNETT 

Joseph Sayles Havener was born at Belfast, Limerick County, Ireland, of 
English parents, his mother being daughter of the English Lord Sayles. At 
Oxford University, England, Joseph was educated to become an Episcopal 
minister. Before beginning to preach he came to America for a period of 
travel. In America Havener became associated with Alexander Campbell, the 
founder of the Campbellites, and with him preached in Virginia. 

Later, the Reverend Havener came to South Carolina where he met and 
married an orphan, Mary Elizabeth Evans, reared by her aunt, Mrs. George 
Hahnbaum, nee Ruberry, of Charleston, but daughter of James and Eliza¬ 
beth Ruberry Evans, of the Evans family whose records are to be found in 
the old Scotch Presbyterian Church of Charleston, South Carolina. Mary 
and her brother Benjamin, of Athens, were related to Miss Lula Whidden, 
a Baptist missionary, of Charleston. 

The Reverend Havener and his wife lived at Boiling Springs, South Caro¬ 
lina, which at that time had another and older name. He would go to preach 
at Augusta and other places. Also he prepared many young men for college; 
for he spoke fluently three languages and was a county school commissioner. 

The Reverend and Mrs. Havener had a daughter, Julia, born at Old Allen¬ 
dale, South Carolina. Julia was musically gifted and taught piano. She mar¬ 
ried John Daniel Fogler, son of Senator John Fogler of Beaufort, South 
Carolina and his wife, Annie Johnson Fogler. Senator Folger was a native of 
North Carolina. His wife and son were born at Beaufort. 

To Julia Havener Fogler and John Daniel Fogler were born several chil¬ 
dren, among them a daughter who married R. T. Waldrep and lived in Tif- 
ton, and another daughter, little Annie, who would come to Tifton to visit 
her sister, Mrs. Waldrep. 

Annie Fogler was born at Boiling Springs, but, with her parents, she lived 
at several places where her father engaged in buying and selling land. Five 
years were spent in Texas, some of the time at Austin and some of the time 
at Milligan. Several years were spent at Brunswick. 

While still very young, little Annie Fogler at Brunswick married a lawyer, 
James Bennett, an Englishman, born in London. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett spent 
a year in European travel, visiting London, France, Belgium and Holland. Re¬ 
turning to America they lived for a while in New York and then went to 
Chicago, where their only daughter, Olive Bennett, was born. 

While Olive was still a little girl Mrs. Bennett, bringing Olive with her, 
moved to Tifton. Mrs. Bennett was very young and inexperienced in busi¬ 
ness responsibilities, but she had great artistry and skill, and soon built up 
the reputation of being the most skilled modiste of the vicinity. Gowns which 
she fashioned were remarked upon for their beauty wherever they were 
seen, in Savannah, in Atlanta, in Saratoga, in New York. Tifton became 
known as a place of well-dressed women, and it was Miss Annie s skill 
that made this so. 

Mrs. Bennett educated Oliver, whom she sent to Columbia University, and 
Olive married Robert Lankford, of Tifton. Mr. and Mrs. Lankford own Lank- 


368 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


ford Manor, in Tifton, and with them Mrs. Bennett makes her home. There 
also are Mrs. Bennett’s grandson, Billy Lankford, and his bride, whom he 
married soon after his safe return from European service in World War II. 

FREDERICK GRANT BOATRIGHT 

Frederick Grant Boatright was born in Palestine, Illinois, May 17 , 1864 . 
When four years old he moved with his parents to Sullivan County, Indiana, 
where he was reared on a farm and followed the plow for several years. He 
later clerked in a store. He learned the printer’s trade in the office of the 
“True Democrat,” in Sullivan. His parents were staunch Democrats, and the 
community in which he lived was a Democratic community. Although Boat- 
right had not gone to college, he loved good books and was well read, and 
well informed and he taught school for six years. In 1886 he studied teleg¬ 
raphy and began his career in railroading. 

On May 12 , 1889 , F. G. Boatright came to Georgia where he worked for 
nearly a month in the Brunswick and Western Railroad office in Brunswick. 
On June 6, of that same year he came to Tifton and at once went to work 
for Henry Tift as Tifton agent of the Brunswick and Western, which posi¬ 
tion he held for seven years. 

In 1891 Fred Boatright returned to Indiana, where at Terre Haute, his 
sweetheart, Martha Dechard, lived. She was descended from the Revolu¬ 
tionary soldier, Jacob Dechard She and Fred were married and Fred brought 
his bride to Tifton. 

At first Fred and Mattie Boatright boarded with Mrs. Barnes on Love 
Avenue, but later they bought a home on Central Avenue, where they were 
next-door neighbors to the Holmes Murrays. For five years they were there 
and then they moved to a place they bought at 406 North Park Avenue. 
There Mr. Boatright’s mother, Ellen, visited them in 1904 . 

After coming to Tifton Mr. Boatright in 1893 read law. In March, 1894 , in 
Berrien County he was admitted to the bar. He became a member of the 
firm of Fulwood, Boatright and Murray, Col. C. W. Fulwood and Holmes 
Murray being the other members of the firm with which he was associated 
for about ten years. Boatright was elected Tifton city attorney in 1895 . 

In 1895 F. G. Boatright was elected Mayor of Tifton and served in 1896 , 
succeeding C. W. Fulwood. Holmes Murray was clerk of Council. Council- 
men were H. H. Tift, E. P. Bowen, W. W. Timmons, J. A. Phillips, L. G. 
Manard, and W. O. Padrick. 

Mr. Boatright served as mayor through 1899 . In 1900 he was succeeded by 
C. W. Fulwood, but in 1902 he again followed Fulwood as mayor. Also, he 
was in January, 1903 , elected judge of the newly created Tifton City Court, 
of which the solicitor was Christopher Columbus Hall (born Sumter Coun¬ 
ty, October 3 , 1866 ; moved to Worth County in early youth; taught school; 
engaged in mercantile business; was railway contractor on Georgia Southern 
and on the Tifton, Thomasville and Gulf; admitted to bar in 1895 ; solicitor 
of County court of Berrien, 1901 - 1902 ). O. L. Chesnutt was first clerk of the 
Tifton City Court. First City Court sheriff was Thomas Berry Henderson. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


369 


Boatright drew up and secured passage of the new city charter. In 1904 
Mr. Boatright was succeeded by W. W. Timmons as mayor of Tifton. 

After the sale of the Tifton and Northeastern, Mr. Boatright went on 
June 15, 1904, to Moody, Florida to be general manager of the Natural 
Bridge Railroad, a short line. 

Later, the Boatrights moved to Cordele, Georgia, where Mr. Boatright was 
for four years United States Postmaster. Also, at Cordele he practiced law. 
until his death there, about 1935. Mrs. Boatright also died in Cordele. 

Frederick and Martha Boatright had two children, a son, Bernard Dechard 
Boatright, who married Mildred Ward, of Cordele, and died in 1920, in Cor¬ 
dele, where also he is buried; and a daughter, Fredericka Boatright, named 
for her father. She married Emmett Hines, son of the late Judge Hines 
and Nellie Womack Hines, musician and writer, of Milledgeville. Fredericka 
and her husband live at Buffalo, New York. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON BOWEN 

George Washington Bowen, born August 19, 1834, married Nancy A. Pope, 
born June 18, 1840. They made their home in Pulaski' County where were 
born to them four sons, E. P., I. W., Isaac Stephen, and Lee Bowen, who 
died unmarried. 

George Washington Bowen, expecting that a railroad would be built 
through Brookfield, moved his family there and purchased more than four 
hundrel acres of land. The railroad went through Tifton instead of Brook¬ 
field, but G. W. continued at Brookfield, where he prospered. When his sons 
grew up they had business interests in both Brookfield and Tifton. 

George Washington Bowen died September 4, 1912. Nancy lived to cele¬ 
brate her 90th birthday with a family reunion and dinner, and she blew out 
the ninety candles on her cake at one whiff. She died January 21, 1933, aged 
92 l / 2 years. G. W. and Nancy are buried at Tifton cemetery. 

ENOCH PIERCEL BOWEN, SR'. 

Enoch Piercel Bowen, son of George Washington Bowen and Nancy Pope 
Bowen, was born in Pulaski County, near Hawkinsville, Georgia. December 
21, 1857. When nine, he moved with his parents from Pulaski to Lowndes 
County. Three years later he came with his parents to Brookfield. 

On April 28, 1871, Enoch Bowen married Elizabeth Turner then of Lake¬ 
land, Florida, but previously of Wilcox County, Georgia, which county was 
named for her maternal family. 

Mr. Bowen moved to Tifton in July of 1887, and in 1890 built a house at 
the corner of Love Avenue and Sixth Street, where the Baptist Church now 
is. Here his children Lennon E., Sarah, Reba, E. P. Jr., Bennie, and Sue were 
born. After the site of this home was sold to the Baptist Church, the Bowens 
lived temporarily, during 1906 and 1907, in a small house across the alley from 
the church, on Fourth Street. Here Elizabeth was born. In 1907 Mr. Bowen 


370 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


built the large and handsome Georgian dwelling at southwest corner of Love 
Avenue and Sixth Street, and here Edna was born. This continued to be the 
Bowen homestead so long as Mr. Bowen lived. Nancy Pope Bowen died 
there February 12, 1942. 

Mr. Bowen was an early member of the First Baptist Church of Tifton 
and was a life member of its Board of Deacons. With exception of one year 
he was treasurer of the Tifton Masonic Lodge from its founding, about 1890, 
until his death. 

With brief exception Mr. Bowen served as alderman of Tifton from the 
time of the first meeting of the board after the town’s incorporation, in 1890, 
until the town changed its form of government. Thereafter he served as a 
city commissioner continuously until his death. After the death of H. H. 
Tift, in 1922, Mr. Bowen was made chairman of the commission and except 
for a short time so continued throughout the rest of his life. 

Mr. Bowen was a director of the Bank of Tifton from its founding, in 
1896, until his death. From 1922 until his death he was president of the Bank 
of Tifton. He was president of the Tifton Investment Co., from 1922 to 
1934; president of the Tifton Cotton Mill from 1928 to 1934. He owned the 
Bowen Funeral Home and is said to have selected the site for the Tifton 
cemetery. 

Enoch Bowen was Tift County’s first representative to the Georgia Legis¬ 
lature; also he was first senator from this senatorial district. 

As Uncle Enoch advanced in years he would leave the execution of the 
bank’s business to others, but every day he would go to the bank and when 
he had attended to such matters as he wished to direct he would go and sit 
on the wide long stone that flanked the entrance to the bank and there ob¬ 
served all who passed in or out of the bank. 

Mr. Bowen felt very lonely after Mrs. Bowen’s death; and all his money 
could not suffice to keep him from feeling bereft, nor all the times he had 
ministered to others in the hour of bereavement prevent his feeling sorrowful 
when his own circle was broken. He stood the loneliness a while and then on 
December 31, 1942, ten days after his eighty-fifth birthday, he married a 
widow, Mrs. Betty Fletcher Wilcox, of Ocilla, the Reverend L. N. Hartsfield 
performing the ceremony at Ocilla. 

June 26, 1943 was a sultry day in Tifton. The sun was blazing. Neighbors 
of Mr. Bowen were sitting on their porch seeking a breath of cool air. They 
saw Uncle Enoch working in his rose garden, hoeing at a great rate as 
though in a great hurry to finish. 

“Uncle Enoch doesn’t need to be doing that!” remarked one. “It’s too hot 
for him to be working so hard!” 

Not ten minutes later a passer-by came and said to one of the neighbors: 
“Do you know when a person is dead? It looks like Uncle Enoch is dead!” 

Mr. Bowen had finished his work, and had sat down in the door to rest. 
It was his last long rest . . . Burial was in Tifton cemetery. 

Children of Enoch and Nancy Pope Bowen and those whom the children 
married, are as follows: 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


371 


Leniion E., married Margaret Bailey. Lennon is now president of the Bank 
of Tifton. 

Sarah Stella married Me Isaacs. 

Mary Rebecca married Robert Hall, Jr. 

Enoch Piercel, Jr., married Ilene Adams. 

Charles Bennie married Margaret Toney. 

Susie Moore married John Fulwood. 

Elizabeth married L. M. Polhill. 

Edna Smith married Adrian Colquitt. 

IRWIN WASHINGTON BOWEN 

Irwin Washington Bowen (born Pulaski County, February, 1862; died at 
his home four miles north of Brookfield, December 4, 1937), son of George 
Washington Bowen and Nancy Pope Bowen, married Sarah Georgia Turner 
(born February 26, 1869; died September 20, 19 4 0). The marriage was in 
March, 1888. 

I. W. Bowen came to this section of the state in 1870 and continued here 
until his death. For several years he was in Tifton in the home now the 
Rackky House, but most of his boyhood and adult years were spent at 
Brookfield where he was a farmer and a merchant. He was for many years 
treasurer of the Mell Baptist Association. He was for thirty-seven years affil¬ 
iated with the Brookfield Baptist Church of which he was a charter member 
and where his funeral was held. He and his wife are buried in the Tifton 
cemetery. 

Issue of this union: Piercel (deceased, aged two years); S. R., J. L., I. W., 
Jr., R. C., S. T., of Tift County; Mrs. Baynard Seckinger, of Glennville; 
Sibbie (Mrs. Bessie Bowen Williford), born August 25, 1898; died Septem¬ 
ber 1, 1936. 

Birthdate on tombstone is February 11, 1862; 

Birthdate in obituary is February 12, 1862. 

ISAAC STEPHEN BOWEN 

Isaac Stephen Bowen, son of George Washington Bowen and Nancy Pope 
Bowen, was born November 16, 1870, and came when very young with his 
parents from Pulaski County to what is now Brookfield. At Fort Valley, 
May 14, 1893, he marreid Sallie Miller, of Fort Valley, daughter of Osburn 
H. and Mary Brice Miller, both of Fort Valley. 

I. S. Bowen, W. W. Simmons and W. J. Goulding were tax assessors for 
City of Tifton for 1908. 

Isaac Bowen died at Brookfield in 1912. Mrs. Bowen died in Tifton, March 
20, 1933. Both are buried in Tifton cemetery. To them were born six daugh¬ 
ters, Willie Mae, Anne, Stella (Mrs. Earl Gibbs), Mittie (Mrs. B. J. Reeves), 
all of Tifton; Blanch (Mrs. J. E. Saxon), of Thomasville; Lee (Mrs. F. M. 
Reeves, Jr.), of Clarkesville, Georgia. 

The above dates are furnished by Mr. Bowen’s daughter. His obituary in 


372 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


the Gazette gives Lowndes County, near Valdosta, as birthplace and date of 
birth 1868; it gives date of marriage as 1892. 

THE BRANCH FAMILY 

Elias Branch, Senior, born in Robinson County, North Carolina, moved to 
Laurens County, Georgia, sometime prior to 1811; David Branch, his son, 
was born there. The latter, his brother, James Branch, and his sister, Nancy, 
moved to Irwin County about 1830. In 1832 David Branch married Millie 
Fletcher and settled in the place now known as Waterloo. Later he served 
as one of the judges of the inferior court for several years. His son, William 
Branch, married Jane Whiddon in 1859 and moved one mile north of Chula, 
where he reared a large family. 

William served Irwin County in the Georgia Legislature 1880-1881. He 
was one of Tifton’s first merchants, and he owned the first mule-power cot¬ 
ton gin in Tifton. He helped the needy, especially the orphans of the War 
Between the States. His wife, very charitable, administered home-made 
remedies to the sick and often responded to calls to the bedsides when doc¬ 
tors were not available. He enlisted in the War Between the States in 1862. 
In 1863 after being promoted to first sergeant, William Branch was wound¬ 
ed in Wilderness, Virginia; he was also wounded at Gettysburg, Virginia in 
1865. He had three grandsons to serve in World War I and six great-grand¬ 
sons and four grandsons in World War II. 

Nine children were born to the union of William and Jane Whiddon 
Branch: Eli, who was born in 1860; W. W. D., in 1862; Juda, in 1865; D. J., 
in 1867; Rachel, in 1870; Leacy, in 1872; Jehu, 1874; E. D., 1877; Millie, 1882. 

Eli Branch, son of William and Jane Whiddon Branch, married Elizabeth 
Easters in 1881. Their children were: Martha Jane, who married H. Fletcher; 
W. D. Branch, who married Cora Dorminy, and Betty Paulk; Millie, Josie, 
Clemmie, Leachy, Rachel, who married Julian Fletcher, and Albert Branch. 

W. W. D. Branch, son of William and Jane Whiddon Branch, married 
Nancy Young in 1881, settled in Irwin County, and served as tax collector for 
twelve years. His children are George W. Branch, William Branch, and Una 
Branch. George W. Branch, born June 10, 1885, married Maude Thompson, 
May 13, 1906. He represented Tift County in the Georgia Legislature in 
1939-40-41-42-43-44 and Forty-Seventh Senatorial District in 1945-1946. His 
son, W. F. Branch, served three years in the United States Navy. W. F. 
Branch married Sibyl Blitch in 1936; their daughter, Sibyl Frances, was 
born on January 29, 1940. 

William Branch married Ora Cravey in 1905 and moved to the place where 
he now lives. Their children are Vernon, Willie, George, Harry, Vernelle, 
and Dorothy. 

Una Branch married Eddie Paulk in November, 1904. To this union were 
born Vercola, John B., Robert C., Eunice Louise, William, Eddie, and Mary. 

Juda Ross, daughter of William and Jane Whiddon Branch, was born on 
October 8, 1865. She married J. F. Ross, December 19, 1883. Their children, 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


373 


W. A., A. L., J. O., Cora Ellen, A. A., Nora Jane, Dotie Ann, L. F., B. L., and 
Dollie, are good Tift County citizens with large families. 

D. J. Branch, son of William and Jane Whiddon Branch, was born Novem¬ 
ber 25, 1867. He married Clemmie Taylor on December 21, 1890, moved to 
Turner County, and served two terms in the Georgia Legislature, 1921-1922- 
1923-1924. His son, Walter Branch, now lives in Turner County and serves as 
senator from the Forty-Seventh Senatorial District. 

Rachel E. Branch, daughter of William and Jane Branch, was born on 
June 29, 1870. On November 25, 1886 she married Walter Young, later settled 
in Worth County, and reared a large, useful family. 

Leacy Branch, daughter of William and Louisa J. Branch, was born Octo¬ 
ber 2, 1872 and married in October, 1887, J. R. Paulk. They settled in Irwin 
County, where they reared a large, useful family of ten children. 

Jehu Branch, Junior, son of William and Jane Whiddon Branch, married 
Maggie Young on January 26, 1899. Their children are E. C. and Maggie. 
Sometime after the death of his first wife Jehu married Minnie Phelps. Their 
children are: Gussie, Odie, Horace C., Virgil F., Athenn, and Susie, all of 
whom are citizens of Tift County. Jehu Branch served one term as county 
commissioner of Tift County, and his son, Virgil, served for three years in 
United States Navy of World War II. 

E. D. Branch, son of William and Jane Whiddon Branch, was born Feb¬ 
ruary 3, 1877 and on December 1, 1909 married Daisy Brown. To this union 
were born J. M., F. I., O. N., and Inez. Ed Branch served the county two 
terms as sheriff. His son, O. N., served for two years in World War II. 

Jehu Branch, Senior, son of David and Millie Fletcher Branch, settled at 
what is now Chula before Southern Railroad was built. Not having married, 
he left his property to his brothers and sisters. 

John A. Branch, son of David and Millie Fletcher Branch, married Dotie 
Ann Clements February 28, 1867. To this union were born W. W., Wiley, 
Mary, Millie, Jane, and Duncan. John Branch served in the War Between 
the States and also served his county as treasurer for three terms. 

Wiley Branch, son of David and Millie Fletcher Branch, married on June 
23, 1878, Sarah Young, the only one of the old Branch family of David and 
Millie now living. Sarah Young Branch is about ninety-six years old. She 
and her husband reared a large, useful family. 

J. M. Branch, son of David and Millie Fletcher Branch, married Martha 
Tucker, and settled near Chula, where they reared a large family of good 
citizens. All of these Branches have moved away except Mack Branch, of 
Chula, and one grandson, Curtis Branch, who lives at Brookfield. 


ELIAS BRANCH 

Elias Branch, son of Mr. William and Mrs. Louise Jane Whiddon Branch, 
was born February 3, 1877, in a log house which was built in 1868 on lot 
number 108 of Sixth District of Irwin County, now in Tift County. Elias 
was deputy sheriff of Irwin County 1903-1904-1905. In 1908 he was elected 


374 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


sheriff of Tift County and was reelected in 1910-1912; each term was two 
years. His home is near his birthplace, the old log house. 

On December 1, 1904 Elias married Daisy Brown. Their four children are 
Marvin, Irvine, Nathaniel and Opal Inez, who married G. E. Fletcher. 

Branch has been justice of peace here for fifteen years. Although he has 
reached the three-score and ten mark, he still takes a vital interest in the 
welfare of Tift. 

His father, William Branch, was a Confederate soldier in Company F-49 
Georgia Regiment. He was wounded and given a leave of absence in 1864. 
His maternal grandparents were Mr. Lott and Judie Dorminey Whiddon. In 
what is now Sycamore she planted from a sycamore tree a riding whip, 
which grew to be an enormous tree. The town, Sycamore, according to tradi¬ 
tion, is a namesake of the tree. 


THE BRITT FAMILY 

The measure of success of any life can be determined only after ascertain¬ 
ing what was the governing purpose of that life, what its motivation, what 
ideals and aspirations controlled it, and toward what goal was it striving. 
This, in spite of the fact that success or failure is generally accounted a mat¬ 
ter of wealth or poverty. It is altogether possible for man to live an exceed¬ 
ingly purposeful life in which the acquisition of wealth, or the attainment 
of public position plays an altogether negligible part. 

Such a man was Henry Hardy Britt. Son of Hardy Gregory Britt and 
Louisa Boyette Britt, he was born in Sampson County, N. C., March 8th, 
1860. The Britt family had earlier lived in Nottaway County, Virginia, com¬ 
ing there from the British Isles. Mr. Britt’s spiritual inheritance was one of 
the highest quality from sturdy, substantial English and Scotch ancestors— 
Gregory, Boyette and Sewell as well as Britt—: an unusually fine, clean 
mind; a culture and a dignity that were instructive and in no way super¬ 
ficial; uncompromising fidelity to truth and righteousness; a love of learning 
in all its branches; and a passion for music. These were his spiritual inheri¬ 
tance, his material one was the same sort of poverty that was the heritage 
of most Southern families as an aftermath of the War Between the States. 
He was graduated from Warsaw Academy, in North Carolina, in 1880—(and 
was the featured speaker of the occasion on the subject, “Shall Chinese Im¬ 
migration Be Restricted?”)—He had selected medicine as his profession, but 
the death of his father necessitated his going back to the family plantation 
and assuming its management instead. 

On December 9th, 1886, Henry Hardy Britt was married to Eliza Laetitia 
Chesnutt, daughter of Capt. Owen Lemuel Chesnutt and Mary Ann New¬ 
kirk Matthis (see Chesnutt Family). She too was born in Sampson County, 
on Oct. 1st, 1866. On her paternal side she was descended from the Ches- 
nutts, Hayes and Owen families, English and Welsh. On her maternal side, 
the Matthews, Kunst, Van Bruntshroten, from Gerritt Cornelissen Van 
Nieukircken (Newkirk) born in Holland 1635, coming to America 1659, and 



A GROUP OF TIFTON PIONEERS 
Top row—Captain Owen Lemuel Chesnutt, for whom Chesnutt Avenue in 
Tifton was named. G. W. Crum, member of Board of Education in Tifton. 
Center—P. D. Phillips, member of Tift County Board of Education. 
Bottom row—Patrick Thomas Carmichael when ninety years old. Henry 
Hardy Britt, benefactor of Tifton. 



?76 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


from Cornelius Barentsen Slegt, who was one of the first judges to be ap¬ 
pointed in the Colony of New Amsterdam, the appointment having been 
made by Governor Peter Stuyvesant on May 16, 1660. Among the direct 
ancestors of both Mr. and Mrs. Britt were Revolutionary soldiers. 

Mr. and Mrs. Britt lost their first child, Ellis Lemuel, in North Carolina; 
and they moved to Tifton in the winter of 1899 where their seven daughters 
and one son were reared. They were among the organizers and founders 
of the Presbyterian church in Tifton, and served it with utmost loyalty and 
devotion until their death, Mr. Britt in the capacity of a Ruling Elder. A 
bronze tablet commemorating this service was unveiled in his memory at 
the church on August 26, 1928. 

Mrs. Britt waS gentle in disposition, completely devoted and loyal to family 
and friends. A keen sense of humor and an inherent gaiety gave her cheer¬ 
fulness and poise under all circumstances; and those who knew her best 
knew that she was a poet at heart. In addition to the demands of her grow¬ 
ing family, Mrs. Britt found time for a few outside activities, except those 
of her church and her U.D.C. chapter, both of which claimed her devotion 
to the end. 

A deep student of religion, philosophy and history, Mr. Britt preferred 
the stimulating conversation and fellowship of a few congenial friends around 
his own fireside to wider contacts with casual acquaintances. He spent little 
time in the market places but countless hours with his books; and his 
philosophy of life was at once grave and mirthful, stalwart and severe, but 
kind and generous. He considered learning, education, culture, an end in 
itself, and not a means of finding a niche in the world. He believed that every 
material success should be achieved unostentatiously and carried lightly. 
He was deeply interested in every phase of music, in which he had a dis¬ 
criminating taste; and it was his purpose that his family should share that 
love and cultivate it to the limit of their abilities. He had no happier hours 
than when there was music and singing in his own home. 

In business Mr. Britt was associated with Gress Manufacturing Company 
from the time of its forming in Tifton, continuing this connection after the 
firm moved to Jacksonville, Fla., but preferring to maintain his residence in 
Tifton. While his material business in life was lumber, his chief interests in 
life were his church, the education of his family, and the stimulus that comes 
from intellectual pursuits. To that end he and Mrs. Britt bent every effort, 
nor counted any cost too great. In pursuit of this aim their material sub¬ 
stance was spent. 

Mr. Britt died February 1st, 1926; Mrs. Britt, September 26, 1929. Their 
children: 

Mary Lou—Bachelor of Arts degree, Flora MacDonald College, Red 
Springs, N. C. Master of Arts, Emory University, Atlanta. Special study: 
Peabody College, Nashville. Tenn., State Teacher’s College, Greeley Colo.; 
Columbia University, New York. Traveled extensively in U. S., Canada, and 
Europe. Head of Science Department, Albany High School, Albany, Ga.; 
Teacher of Chemistry at Abraham-Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


377 


Lillian Ann Bachelor of Music degree, Flora McDonald College. Con¬ 
tinued vocal study with Margaret Hecht, Atlanta, Ga., and Guiseppe Agostini, 
Philadelphia. Married Robert A. Heinsohn of Sylvester, Ga., Muncie, Ind., 
and Cleveland, Ohio. For sixteen years lived in Philadelphia where Mr. 
Heinsohn was Agency Director, New York Life Insurance Company. 
Through her singing was active Artist Member Philadelphia Art Alliance; 
with sister, Nell, in joint recitals, were recognized concert artists. Traveled 
U. S., Canada, extensively in South America. Home, Labrah Plantation, 
Thomasville, Ga. 

Blanche Birthlotte—Educated in piano and voice at Flora MacDonald Col¬ 
lege, and Cincinnati, Ohio, Conservatory. Head of Music Department, A. and 
M. College, Statesboro, Ga., and at Catawba College, Newton, N. C. Married 
J. Carroll Bell of Anderson, S. C., Entomologist, Plant Board of Florida 
State Department of Agriculture. At home Eustis, Fla. Children: 

1. Lillian Carolyn, married Sidney Phillips, Lt. U. S. Air Force; two chil¬ 
dren, Lillian Britt, and Sidney Norris. 

2. Barbara Blanche, Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Journalism, Florida 
State College for Women, Tallahassee. 

Ruth Patterson—Bachelor of Arts degree Flora MacDonald College; Mas¬ 
ter of Arts, Emory University, Atlanta. Special study: State Teacher’s Col¬ 
lege, Greeley, Colorado; University of California, Berkeley; Columbia Uni¬ 
versity, New York. Teacher of History, Palmer College, Fla.; Social Sciences 
High School, Thomasville, Ga. 

Esther Lee—Bachelor of Literature degree, Flora MacDonald College; 
Master of Arts, Emory University. Special study: University of North Caro¬ 
lina; State Teacher’s College, Greeley, Colo.; Sorbonne University, Paris, 
France. Taught French, Brunswick, Ga., and Winnsboro, S. C. Married 
William R. Anderson, Supt. of Schools, Clinton, S. C., (who has one daugh¬ 
ter, Helen, by his first wife, deceased). 

Nell Gray—Educated piano and voice Flora MacDonald College, and Cin¬ 
cinnati, O., Conservatory of Music. Continued study: Margaret Hecht, At¬ 
lanta; Emory University; Guiseppe Agostini, Philadelphia. Head of Vocal 
Department Palmer College and at Piedmont College, Demorest, Ga. Mar¬ 
ried Roy D. Tabor, Toccoa, Ga., with New York Life Insurance Company, 
Philadelphia. For number of years soprano soloist St. Paul’s Episcopal 
Church, Philadelphia; has active music studio; in joint recitals with Lillian 
appeared extensively in concert. Two children: Owen Britt and Nell Britt. 

Eliza Owen—Educated at Anderson College, S. C., and at Presbyterian 
Training School, Richmond, Va. Special study in music: Loyola School of 
Music, New Orleans, La., and Sorbonne University, Paris, France. Director 
Young People’s Work, Presbyterian Churches in Greenville, S. C., and Vicks¬ 
burg, Miss.; member of Department Religious Education and Home Mis¬ 
sion Synod of Mississippi. Written many songs and a number of poems 
which have been published. Married Rev. Archibald Cole Ray of North Caro¬ 
lina, pastor Claiborne Avenue Presbyterian Church, New Orleans, and 


378 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Memorial Presbyterian, West Palm Beach, Fla. Children Richard Archibald 
and Timothy Britt. 

Henry Chesnutt—Abraham Baldwin College; The Citadel, Charleston, S. 
C.; graduated United States Military Academy, West Point, N. Y., June 
1933. Military service, Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Knox, Ky.; Fort Huachua, 
Ariz.; May 1939 to September 1941 on Staff of General Parker, 31st Infantry, 
Manila, P. I.; Lieutenant Colonel, 365 Infantry, with Fifth Army in Italy, 
World War II; married Doris Pope of Alabama; children, Henry M., Pope 
Patterson, Sally Leatitia. Lt. Col. Henry C. Britt’s present assignment is G.4 
of the 6th Infantry Division in Korea. 


EDWARD ALLEN BUCK 

Edward Allen Buck, born Greenville, North Carolina, November 17, 1848, 
came in his youth from North Carolina to South Georgia and engaged in the 
turpentine business on a large scale in Georgia and Florida. Also, he was a 
member of the Brunswick, Georgia, firm of Buck and Downing. 

E. A. Buck married Lillian Lipsey, of Lee County. They at first lived at 
Douglas, Georgia, but in the 1890’s moved to Tifton where he organized the 
wholesale grocery, grain, and feed house of Julian, Love, and Buck, his 
partners being Dr. George Julian and Mayor W. H. Love, Tifton’s first 
mayor. In connection with his firm Buck helped establish Tifton’s first bank, 
a private banking house founded in 1895, the year prior to the founding of the 
Bank of Tifton. Mr. Buck was president of the Citizens’ Bank of Tifton and 
was an officer of the National Bank of Tifton. 

In Tifton the Bucks at first lived at Hotel Sadie, but they soon built a 
large, handsome, brick, Georgian residence on the southwest corner of Love 
Avenue at Sixth Street. It was the scene of many happy entertainings. 

Mr. and Mrs. Buck had two children, Ethel, who attended Lucy Cobb, and 
E. A., Jr., who was born at Tifton, September 14, 1903 and attended Sparks 
Collegiate Institute, Sparks, Georgia. At Sparks, E. A., Jr., fell in a large 
well, but was rescued. E. A., Jr., was killed in an automobile wreck near Tif¬ 
ton, on Christmas night, 1921. Two months later, on February 27, 1922, E. A. 
Buck, Sr., died at his Love Avenue home. There, on what is said to have 
been the coldest February weather in the history of the weather bureau. 
Mrs. Buck died, February 10, 1934. 

Ethel Buck, who, after her marriage to Winston McKey, lived in Valdosta, 
died at St. Joseph’s, Atlanta, Thursday, April 4, 1935. Funeral services were 
held Saturday afternoon at five o’clock at the Buck home in Tifton, where 
they were conducted by her father’s former pastor, Reverend T. H. Thomp¬ 
son, of Bainbridge Methodist Church, but formerly of Brunswick, who, as¬ 
sisted by Dr. C. W. Durden, had conducted her father’s funeral services. 
Before they laid her to rest with the other members of her family in the 
Buck mausoleum in the Tifton cemetery, friends sang, “Good-night, Be¬ 
loved.” 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


379 


PATRICK THOMAS CARMICHAEL 

Perhaps there has been no more interesting figure in Tift County annals 
than Patrick Thomas Carmichael who moved from Coweta County, Georgia 
to Berrien County, now Tift, December 10, 1902, and continued to make this 
vicinity his home until his death on March 30. 1942, at the age of ninety-one 
years, lacking eighteen days. 

Born in Coweta County, April 17, 1851, son of Lieut. Patrick Carmichael, 
C. S. A., and Mary Anne Washington Speer Carmichael, Patrick Thomas 
was a great-grandson of Patrick Carmichael, who was born in Brand, Ire¬ 
land, in 1754 and came to America in 1773, settling at New r berry District, 
South Carolina. Patrick Thomas’s forebear, had gone to the ship to say 
farewell to his sweetheart, Elizabeth Thompson (born in Ireland, 1749), who. 
with her family, was sailing for America. The sweethearts could not bear to 
separate and Patrick determined to make the journey to America even 
though doing so would obligate him to a period of servitude in order to pay 
for his passage. The young people were married on shipboard, in 1773, and 
the long and hazardous journey across the ocean became for them a honey¬ 
moon. Arrived in this country, Patrick faithfully fulfilled his obligation and 
then became one of the prominent and useful men of the community where 
he settled. He and Elizabeth became the forebears of a large family of Car¬ 
michaels who people South Carolina, Coweta County, Georgia, and now Tift. 
Members of the family moved to Coweta County in 1851. 

Patrick Thomas early felt and heroically discharged the responsibilities of 
life. When but a lad, the oldest boy left at home when his father and three 
brothers entered the Confederate Army, he looked after his father’s farm. 
Two of his brothers, Joseph William (born May 22, 1840; killed at Seven 
Day Battle, in Virginia, June 26, 1862), and Robert M., (born May 7, 1844; 
killed August 19, 1864, at Petersburg, Virginia), made the supreme sacrifice 
for the Confederacy. 

Patrick and Elizabeth Carmichael had been members of the Associate Re¬ 
form Presbyterian Church, but Patrick Thomas was a Methodist. He joined 
the church under the ministry of the Reverend Pierce, at Coke’s Chapel, 
Coweta County, 1866. He became Sunday School teacher, Sunday School 
superintendent, was a steward, and he helped build several churches. His 
father was a member of Tranquil Church, out from Turin, but later moved 
to Turin. He furnished the timber for the Turin Church and his son-in-law 
hauled the logs to the mill to be cut, hauled the lumber to Carol County to be 
dressed, then back to Turin for the church, which is still in use, and where 
Patrick IPs funeral sermon was preached. Burial was at Tranquil cemetery. 
In those days before modern funeral arrangements, the leather driving reins 
from the buggies were used for lowering the casket into the grave. 

On December 16. 1875 Patrick Thomas Carmichael married Elizabeth Tig- 
nor Fambrough (born March 11, 1859, Coweta County; died Tifton, October 
6, 1929). They lived until 1902 upon their Coweta County farm. After moving 
thence to Berrien County, now Tift, Mr. Carmichael continued to farm un¬ 
til 1914, at which time he retired and moved to Lenox. Coming to this vicin- 


380 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


ity, he bought land from Captain John A. Phillips and from J. G. Adcock. On 
the Adcock land he had bought he built his home. The land he purchased 
from Phillips he gave to his children, each receiving one hundred acres. From 
Lenox Mr. Carmichael moved to Woodbury and thence to Tifton in 1925. 

On the occasion of Patrick Thomas’s 90th birthay, his son, Homer Car¬ 
michael, of Tifton, honored him with a celebration unique. Mr. Homer 
Carmichael owns a lake, formerly called Tift’s Pond, now called Lake Mary, 
for his late daughter, Mary Carmichael, a comely young woman whom death 
claimed early. Homer Carmichael planned to drain this lake, clear it of 
stumps and then refill it. He awaited the near approach of his father’s 
ninetieth birthday, timed the draining at a few days before, and for the 
occasion had seven hundred pounds of delicious fresh water fish of choice 
varieties. He invited as guests the Carmichael clan who, coming from five 
states, assembled to pay homage to the revered head of the family, Patrick 
Thomas, who, though at so great an age, appeared to be in excellent health, 
and personally greeted each of the several hundred guests present. Receiv¬ 
ing with him and Mr. and Mrs. Homer Carmichael was Thomas Patrick’s 
sister, Mrs. Ella C. Christopher (born in Coweta County, February, 15, 
1853; died February 9, 1944, at Turin). Her funeral was held in the Meth¬ 
odist Church built with the logs her husband had hauled to make the build¬ 
ing possible. Mrs. Christopher, at the time of her brother’s birthday cele¬ 
bration was upward of eighty-five, as also was their brother, John Carmichael, 
who also received with them. 

To Patrick Thomas Carmichael and Elizabeth Tignor Fambrough Car¬ 
michael were born seven children, Jipsie Mae, Francis Albert, Lula Belle, 
Harvey Lee, Homer C., Thomas Arthur, Paul Douglas. Of these and their 
children a full account may be found in the book on the Carmichael Family, 
now in preparation. 

Patrick Thomas Carmichael’s wife, Elizabeth, was daughter of the Rever¬ 
end Dr. William N. Fambrough, Methodist minister and physician, of 
Coweta County. 


BRIGGS CARSON 

Briggs Carson, the first of the Carsons to live in Tifton, came here from 
Cordele about 1896 and continued to make this home until his death, May 
27, 1937, at his home at the northeast corner of West Sixth Street and Col¬ 
lege Avenue. 

Briggs Carson was born December 13, 1870, in Macon County, Georgia. 
He was one of seven children born to Captain Joseph P. Carson, C. S. A., 
(born June 1, 1839, at Carsonville, Crawford County, Georgia), and Char¬ 
lotte Briggs Carson (born February 7, 1842, Lincoln County, Missouri), 
daughter of the Reverend William S. Briggs and O. H. Briggs. Briggs Car¬ 
son’s father, Joseph P. Carson, was a first cousin of General John Brown 
Gordon, in command of one wing of Lee’s army in Northern Virginia. Later 
Gordon was governor of Georgia. In the War Between the States, Captain 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


381 


Joseph P. Carson was in command of Company I, in the Fourth Georgia 
Regiment, C. S. A., and he was commanding officer at the successful at¬ 
tack on Fort Steadman, near Petersburg, Virginia, the capture of Fort Stead¬ 
man being the last Confederate victory of Lee’s army of Northern Virginia. 
(See account of “Carson at Fort Steadman,” this volume.) 

Briggs Carson was educated in the schools of Butler, Georgia, and at Mar- 
shallville, Georgia. When he was ready for college his father died and it be¬ 
came necessary to go to work instead of going to college. He, his mother, and 
his younger brothers, Keith and Joseph, moved to Cordele, where Briggs re¬ 
mained for about five years. While there he was bookkeeper for a Cordele 
firm, and he travelled for another firm. 

While living in Cordele Briggs Carson met and became engaged to Ella 
Pate (born at Pateville, Dooly County, now Crisp, March, attended 
Dooly County schools; attended Andrews College, Cuthbert, Georgia, and 
Wesleyan), daughter of John Smith Pate (born June 27, 18 4 7, Dooly County, 
died August, 1930, at Cordele, Georgia) and Jimmie Clements (married June 
27, 1872). Ella’s father, John Smith Pate, was prominent in the annals of 
Dooly County. For an account of his achievements see William Fleming’s 
“Crisp County, Georgia Historical Sketches.” At the Methodist Church in 
Cordele, on April 27, 1898, the Reverend J. T. Stewart, pastor of the church 
performing the ceremony, Briggs Carson and Ella Pate were wed. Ella Jane 
wore a white brocaded satin wedding dress with a long train, and a veil. The 
evening wedding was followed by a brilliant reception at the bride’s parents’ 
home. Immediately afterward the young people left Cordele for Tifton. 

In Tifton Briggs and Ella Carson at first occupied a house Which they 
owned next door to where the Misses Mattie and Rosa Corry lived on Cen¬ 
tral Avenue. After two years there they moved to a house which they bought 
on Ridge Avenue, now the G. N. Mitchell home, where they lived for about 
ten years, after which they bought and moved into the Vickers house, the 
large home which after thirty-seven years, is still the Carson home. 

Briggs Carson founded the first insurance agency in Tifton. His mother 
and his brothers, Keith and Joseph, moved to Tifton, and the Carson Broth¬ 
ers for many years owned and conducted a men’s and women’s ready-to-wear 
clothing store. Also, with Henry H. Tift, Tifton’s founder, and C. W. Ful- 
wood, Briggs Carson owned the Tifton Foundry and Machine Shop. At one 
time Briggs owned interest in the Tifton Gazette Publishing Company, W. 
H. Park of Macon, and John W. Greer having bought controlling interest in 
the Gazette in January, 1898, and Mr. Park after several months, having 
sold his interest to Briggs Carson and J. L. Herring. Carson later sold his 
interest to J. L. Herring. Briggs also owned a large farm north of Tifton. 

Briggs Carson was chairman of Tift County’s first Board of Education. 
Other members were: Dr. F. B. Pickett, W. S. Smith, G. W. Crum, J. N. 
Horne, P. D. Phillips. 

In 1897, during the pastorate of Dr. P. A. Jessup, one of the early pastors 
of the First Baptist Church of Tifton, Briggs Carson became superintendent 
of the Baptist Sunday School, and so continued throughout the pastorates 



PrONEER TIFTON BUILDERS 

Top row, left—C. W. Fulwood, Sr., Lawyer, (deceased) whose interest in 
City Beautiful brought Fulwood Park. Top row, right—Briggs Carson, Sr., 
educator and business man (deceased). Center row, left—Dr. Jasper Brooks, 
veteran druggist. Center row, right—John L. Herring, beloved editor of Tif- 
ton Gazette 1897-1923 (deceased). Bottom row, left—Dr. N. Peterson, beloved 
physician (deceased). Bottom row, right—John Henry Hutchinson, first tax 
collector of Tift County. 









HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


383 


of Dr. Charles Dilworth, Reverend Miller, Mr. Reamey, and during the 
pastorate of Dr. C. W. Durden. Briggs preceded I. D. Morgan. When Briggs 
became superintendent of the Sunday School, the church was housed in the 
Park Avenue structure now housing the Presbyterians. He continued until 
some time after the congregation moved into the edifice at corner of Love 
Avenue and Fourth Street. 

Children of Briggs and Ella Pate Carson were: 

Charlotte, aged about six months when she died; an unnamed infant son, 
who died in infancy; 

Pate, a lawyer; lives in New York City; his wife is Georgiann; 

Briggs, a lawyer; lives in Tifton; Married Perry Lee Moore Webb, a 
widow, daughter of Perryman and Senator Susie Tillman Moore. Issue: 
Charlotte Carson. 

Banks, married; lives in Atlanta. 

Robert Clements, of Tifton; married Florence Willingham Karsten, artist, 
granddaughter of Dr. W. L. and Florence Willingham Pickard. Issue: Ella 
Jane Pate Carson. 

James, clerk of the House of Representatives, Washington. D. C. 

Joseph, of Tifton; married Edith Wilkes, daughter of a Methodist minis¬ 
ter. Issue, Joseph Carson. 

Ella Pate Carson has been active in the women’s work of the Tifton Meth¬ 
odist Church. She is a charter member, a former president, and long time 
historian of the Charlotte Carson Chapter, United Daughters of the Con¬ 
federacy. 

Ella Pate Carson continues to live at the Carson home on Sixth Street, and 
there with her are her sons, Clements and Joseph, and their wives and chil¬ 
dren, and her son James, when not in Washington. 

CHARLOTTE CARSON 

Charlotte Ashmore Keith Briggs was born February 7, 1842, at Lincoln 
County, Missouri, daughter of a Methodist minister, the Reverend William 
S. Briggs and his wife, O. H. Briggs. Charlotte was a grand-niece of Chief 
Justice Marshall, of the United States Supreme Court. Reverend William S. 
Briggs was eldest son of James McDonald Briggs and Charlotte Ashmore 
Keith. James McDonald Briggs was youngest son of David Briggs and Jane 
Lansdown Briggs. David, first progenitor of the Briggs family in America, 
came to Virginia in 1752 and settled in Stafford County, twelve miles from 
Fredericksburg, near the Rappahannock River. David is said to have been 
“a gentleman of unusual natural ability, liberally educated, and soon took 
high rank in the new country.” He amassed a considerable fortune, and his 
original home in this country was bought of Lord Fairfax. 

Through one line Charlotte is said to have been descended from Poca- 
huntas, famous Indian princess. 

Upon outbreak of the War Between the States the men of Charlotte’s 
family joined the Confederate Army and the women of the family were sent 


384 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


to Georgia, where it was then deemed safe. Among those appointed to 
escort the Briggs party was Captain Joseph P. Carson, of Carsonville (born 
June 1, 1839, at Carsonville, Crawford County, Georgia), son of Joseph J. 
Carson and M. G, Carson. Carsonville was named for Joseph J. Carson and 
the large plantation home in which Joseph P. was born is still standing. J. 
H. Carson and W. H. Robinson were the Macon County delegates to the 
Secession Convention which met at Milledgeville, January 21, 1861. Both 
voted to secede. 

Soon after the outbreak of the war Joseph P. Carson, on April 27, 1861, en¬ 
listed in the Fourth Georgia Regiment, as a private. He was elected to com¬ 
mand Company I, in the above regiment and remained in service until the 
close of the war. 

Pretty eighteen-year-old Charlotte Briggs had married Joseph P. Carson 
before he returned to his duties in Virginia. 

Joseph P. Carson received wounds at Sharpsburg. at the Wilderness, at 
Winchester, and was twice wounded at Petersburg. For two years prior to 
the close of the war he was in command of General John B. Gordon’s sharp¬ 
shooters, and Carson was in command of the successful assault on Fort 
Steadman, March 25, 1865, the last Confederate victory of Lee’s army of 
Northern Virginia. 

The Confederate army was so greatly outnumbered that it was impos¬ 
sible to follow up the victory of Fort Steadman and the end of the contest 
came at Appomattox, April 9, 1865. 

When the war was over Joseph P. Carson and his distinguished cousin, 
General John B. Gordon, who later became governor of Georgia, returned 
to their homes in Georgia and for many years they were in business to¬ 
gether in a large farming and cattle-raising project in Macon County, not 
far from Reynolds, Georgia. 

To Joseph P. and Charlotte Briggs Carson were born seven children: 

Ophelia G. (born April 9, 1865, Macon County, Georgia, near Reynolds); 

Rains (born July 22, 1867, Macon County); 

Beulah R. (born August 5, 1869, Macon County); 

Briggs (born December 13, 1870, Macon County); 

Holmes (born September 17, 1872, Macon County); 

Keith (born October 2, 1876, at Reynolds, Taylor County); 

Joseph (born March 9, 1879, at Reynolds). 

After Joseph P. Carson and John Brown Gordon had been in business for 
many years, Carson bought out Gordon’s interest; but soon afterward Carson 
died, and his widow, Charlotte, was left with the responsibility of rearing the 
surviving children, not yet grown. She moved to Cordele and was there for 
several years. When Briggs, her eldest surviving son, was grown he moved 
to Tifton, and later Charlotte and the younger sons, Keith and Joseph, also 
moved there. 

Briggs married Ella Pate; Keith married Laura Smith; Joseph married 
Isadore Timmons, daughter of Mayor W. W. Timmons, of Tifton. After Isa- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


385 


dore’s death, Charlotte lived with Joseph in the house now owned by Judge 
Eve. After his second marriage, Charlotte made her home with her son 
Briggs, and his wife, Ella Pate, at the Carson home on West Sixth Street, 
where she died November 11, 1913. She is buried in the Tifton cemetery. 

Charlotte Carson was organizer and first president of the Charlotte Car- 
son Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, which chapter was 
named for her as the widow of Captain Joseph P. Carson, intrepid and valiant 
hero of Fort Steadman. The chapter was organized in the parlors of the 
Myon Hotel in the winter of 1908, and received its charter on April 14, 1908, 
in the auditorium of the Tifton Grammar School. For a history of the chap¬ 
ter, see article by Ella Pate Carson, in this volume. 


CAPTAIN OWEN LEMUEL CHESNUTT AND FAMILY 

Among the obvious, but none-the-less tragic aftermaths of the War Be¬ 
tween the States were the destroyed homes, wrecked plantations, blasted 
hopes, and interrupted careers. No war that America has ever fought re¬ 
sulted in such sickening devastation to homelands, nor left so deep a hurt. 
The. returning Southern soldier had no G.I. Bill of Rights, no organized and 
concerted efforts to re-establish him in civilian life, no friendly, grateful gov¬ 
ernment to breach the gap between war and peace. Instead, the young Con¬ 
federate officer, demobilized from war, began a battle for which he was ill- 
equipped, and for which his physical and emotional depletion weighed 
heavily against him. That this circumstance was repeated over and over and 
over in no way lessened its poignancy; on the contrary it increased it, for 
the effect on the South of its tragic accumulative weight is incalculable. 

Among these returning Confederate officers was Captain Owen Lemuel 
Chesnutt, age not yet 24 years. Son of Thomas Jefferson Chesnutt and his 
first wife, Laetitia Owen, he was born in Sampson County, N. C., Sept. 22, 
1840. His father, born in 1802 of Welsh and English descent, was an out¬ 
standing man in eastern North Carolina, well-to-do, cultured and influential. 
His mother was Welsh, of distinguished ancestry, being a member of that 
Owen family whose recorded history dates to 880, (the Owens were Kings 
of Wales until conquered by Edward 1st in 1282). 

Owen L. Chesnutt was graduated from Franklin Military Academy in 
May, 1860 and entered the war immediately. He served with distinction the 
entire four years, in North Carolina, in West Virginia, in Tennessee, and in 
Virginia, and was at Appomattox at the surrender. He was Captain of Com¬ 
pany “C”, 38th North Carolina, in Scales Brigade, Col. John Ashford com¬ 
manding the regiment. 

In 1865 Capt. Chesnutt was married to Mary Ann Newkirk Matthis. She 
was a daughter of Abram Newkirk Matthis and Eliza Jane Dollar whose 
home was “Pleasant Hill” in Sampson County, N. C., and she was the 
granddaughter of Mary Ann Newkirk and Major James Matthis (also spelled 


386 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Matthews) of “White Oaks” in Sampson County. Major Matthis represented 
Sampson County in the House of Commons, General Assembly of N. C., from 
1802 to 1818. This family had come to North Carolina from Virginia, Mat¬ 
thews County, Va., having been named for one branch of the family. Mary 
Ann Newkirk’s family had come from Kingston and Albany, N. Y., where 
they were among the first settlers from Holland to the New Netherland 
Colony, in April 1659. They were related to and intermarried with many of 
the most distinguished Dutch families in New York. 

The Matthises were large slave holders, and “White Oaks” and “Pleasant 
Hill” were scenes of gracious and comfortable living. In this atmosphere 
Mary Ann had grown up, and she had grace and stamina to face, with her 
beloved Captain, her world torn and shattered and demanding from them 
the full measure of strength and courage and faith. 

Capt. and Mrs. Chesnutt lived for some years on the depleted old plan¬ 
tation, but his battle wounds had taken their toll (he had been wounded 
seven times) and he was not physically equal to the battle of farm restora¬ 
tion. In 1887 they left North Carolina to make their home in the little saw¬ 
mill village of Tifton. Beautifully educated, Capt. Chesnutt turned to teach¬ 
ing school which he did for several years; and later served as Clerk of the 
City Court and Justice of the Peace. Never a robust man, he retired from 
active life at an early age. He was one of the organizers of the Presbyterian 
Church, was one of its first Elders, and served it with love and devotion 
until his death in June, 1910. (See Presbyterian Church History.) Mrs. Ches¬ 
nutt followed her husband in death ten days later. 

By nature Capt. Chesnutt was unusually genial and affable, of fine bear¬ 
ing and address, hospitable, sincere in friendship, forthright in character, and 
devout in his Christian life. Unusually gifted as a public speaker, with cul¬ 
tured mind and a beautiful flow of language, he was always in demand as 
toastmaster and featured speaker on gala occasions. Many of his speeches 
have been preserved in manuscript and show a breadth of vision and an elo¬ 
quence comparable to many of the best speakers of his day. These speeches 
show him to have been particularly advanced in his ideas of the New South; 
and to have been without rancor or bitterness toward his late adversaries. 
At the time of his death he probably had as many friends as any man in the 
country. Chesnutt Avenue was named in his honor. 

To Capt. and Mrs. Chesnutt were born the following children: 

Eliza Laetitia, married Henry Hardy Britt, died 1929. (See Britt Family.) 

Thomas McIntosh, married Janie Williams, daughter of Charles and Flora 
MacDonald Williams of Fayetteville, N. C. Died 1933. Children: Thomas 
Williams Chesnutt, Catherine MacDonald, married Roy Benton Allen, chil¬ 
dren: Mary Catherine and Roy Benton, Jr. 

Abram Matthis, married Eunice Brown of Atlanta, Died 1940. Children: 
Louise, Henry, Mildred, Irene and Edwin (died 1945 in Italian campaign). 

Owen Lee, married Mary Carmichael (Ethridge) of Jackson, Ga. Captain 
in Dental Corps with American Army in France in World War I. Died 1942. 

Lillian Gray, died in girlhood. 

Mary Marable, married Paul Wingard, Rome, Ga. Died 1944. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


387 


SAMUEL M. CLYATT 

The Tifton Gazette of May 13, 1904 carried the story that Sam Clyatt and 
J. M. Gaulding had been appointed by the newly formed Sam Cylatt Fishing 
Club to select a site for purchase by the club for the location of a club house. 
Fishing clubs were popular with Tifton men of that day. The Tom Welch 
Fishing club had been organized by Brunswick and Western Railroad men 
in 1892, and had headquarters on the Satilla River. The Homosassa Fishing 
club was another fishing club with many Tifton members. 

Not only was Sam Clyatt popular among his fishing friends, but every 
one who knew him liked him and he was elected Mayor of Tifton, to succeed 
Mayor W. W. Timmons, who was mayor in 1904 and 1905. 

Mayor Clyatt began his term of office as mayor in January, 1906. The 
event was celebrated by a ’possum supper. “A fine fat ’possum had been 
baked to an epicure’s taste by Jack Garrett and was served in handsome style 
by Host Brigham, with oysters and accessories. The occasion was a most 
pleasant one to all attending.” 

Mayor Clyatt had married Miss Emma Stump, and they had two children, 
beautiful and beloved Marguerite, and James J. Clyatt, possessed of an ex¬ 
cellent voice. Mrs. Clyatt was daughter of valliant James Stump, who, at 
fifteen, fought in the Mexican War and during the War Between the States 
was a blockade runner between New York and Richmond. Three of his 
vessels were captured by the United States. Later, during the administration 
of President Grover Cleveland, he was sergeant-at-arms at the Capitol at 
Washington. James Stump died in his seventy-sixth year, in 1905, at Val¬ 
dosta. 

Elected to serve as councilmen with Mayor Clyatt were H. H. Tift, E. P. 
Bowen, and S. G. Slack. John T. Mathis was mayor pro tern., and Leon Har¬ 
graves was clerk of council and city treasurer. 

Mayor Clyatt’s term of office was a period of much progress in Tifton. 
S. G. Slack, J. J. Golden and N. Peterson were appointed to draft a sanitary 
code for the city; and an ordinance was passed providing receptacles for 
trash and garbage. Raleigh Eve was appointed in June, 1906, to examine the 
city charter and later was appointed to draft a code of laws for the city; 
and these were adopted. In June, 1906 the citizens of Tifton voted for public 
schools and the new school, corner stone of which was laid in 1906, was 
opened January 14, 1907. 

In June, 1906, Council signed a petition of Postmaster J. M. Duff request¬ 
ing free mail delivery in Tifton. 

In 1907, Cylatt was mayor and Tifton councilmen were H. H. Tift, W. T. 
Hargrett, E. P. Bowen, J. J. Golden, S G. Slack, W. H. Hendricks. Mayor 
pro tern, was E. P. Bowen. City clerk and treasurer was Leon A. Har¬ 
greaves. Dr. N. Peterson was city physician. Chief of police was R. G. 
Coarsey 

In 1907 the “Code of Tifton, 1907,” compiled by Raleigh Eve from the 
Charter of 1902 and the Code of 1895 and adopted by council in 1906, was 
printed by the Gazette Publishing Company. 


388 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


In October of 1907, Tifton’s first fire department was organized. S. G. 
Slack was chief and the volunteers who composed it were among Tifton’s 
most prominent citizens. 

Mr. Clyatt was elected to serve as mayor of Tifton during 1908 and 1909, 
and councilmen elected with him were H. H. Tift, S. G. Slack and W. H. 
Spooner. Dr. W. H. Hendricks was elected mayor pro tern, for 1908, and clerk 
and treasurer was W. W. Bryan. Mayor Cylatt resigned October 5, 1908, and 
was succeeded by W. W. Banks. 

Mr. Clyatt moved away from Tifton and lived elsewhere for a number of 
years; but he later returned to Tifton and he and Mrs. Clyatt, the beloved 
Emma, who had a host of friends in Tifton, spent their tranquil declining 
years in Tifton. She preceded him in death and both of them now rest in 
the Tifton cemetery. 

Marguerite Clyatt married, and she died at childbirth; but the infant lived 
and was for a number of years with Mrs. Clyatt, until the child’s father mar¬ 
ried again and took the child to live with him. 

James Clyatt married Josie Golden, daughter of his father’s good friend, 
J. J. Golden. For more than thirty years she was organist of the First Bap¬ 
tist Church of Tifton, of which her mother, Mamie McLeod Golden was 
choir director for the same period. 

For a record of Mrs. Clyatt’s achievements and honors see “Who’s Who in 
Georgia,” published by Larkin, Roosevelt and Larkin, Chicago; also, “Ameri¬ 
can Women,” (Vol. Ill, p. 173), published in Los Angeles, by American 
Publications, Inc. 


THE CHURCHWELLS 

John Churchwell, prosperous merchant of Brookfield, died April 29, 1904, 
aged 71, at the home of his son, A. F. Churchwell, in Albany, Georgia. He 
was buried in the Churchwell family burial ground near Brookfield, where 
his wife had been buried a few years previously. 

John Churchwell was survived by six children, as follows: John H., of 
Cordele; A. F., of Albany; Walter, of Hawkinsville; Mrs. J. C. Hind, of Co¬ 
lumbus, Georgia; Mrs. Dan Fletcher, of Harding, Georgia; Mrs. M. D. Cal¬ 
houn, of Bainbridge. 

A. F., John H., and Mrs. Dan Fletcher, all of whom grew up at Brookfield, 
remained for many years in close touch with what is now Tift County. 

John H. Churchwell began his business career in McRae in 1895 with a 
cash capital of one hundred dollars. He so greatly prospered that he sought 
a larger field for his activities and located at Cordele where he soon had one 
of the most successful mercantile establishments of the state. 

Soon after John entered into business, A. F., in 1897, at Abbeville, opened 
a store with a starting capital of $250.00. He, likewise, prospered and in 
1900, on February 7, he opened a store in Albany, on Broad Street. He later 
moved to the Davis Exchange Bank Building there. 

The Churchwell brothers opened a store in Tifton, and George Washing- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


389 


ton Coleman was its manager from 1903 to 1907. The store outgrew its old 
quarters and in 1909 moved into larger quarters, its opening being on March 
19. Managers of the store at that time were “Messrs. Padrick and Abbott. 
Clerks were Messrs. Robert and Abbott.” 

In March of 1911 the Churchwells were conducting six retail stores in 
the following towns: Albany, Cordele, Waycross, Fitzgerald, Tifton, Syl¬ 
vester. Of these the Albany store was owned solely by A. F., and the Cor¬ 
dele store was owned solely by John H. The others were owned jointly. On 
March 17, announcement was made that a co-partnership had been formed 
and the retail stores would be conducted under the firm name of Church- 
well’s, and a wholesale establishment would be opened by them in Cordele. 
The retail business of the stores in 1910 was four hundred thousand dollars. 

Although business took the Churchwells away from Tift County in later 
years, their hearts and minds returned to the scene of their boyhood at well¬ 
loved Brookfield, and they were among those generous donors who have re¬ 
cently made possible the building of the beautiful Memorial Methodist 
Church at Brookfield. This church, organized in 1878 by Rev. J. J. F. Good¬ 
man, was called then Bethesda, and was built on land donated by a Mr. 
Matthews. In 1903 the church was moved into Brookfield. The name was 
changed to the Brookfield Methodist Church. The newest building is the 
Memorial Church, dedicated on Sunday, May 25, 1947. For further details see 
chapter about churches. 

The dedicatory prayer was in part: “God, make the door of this house 
we have raised to Thee wide enough to receive all who need human love 
and fellowship and a Father’s care; and narrow enough to shut out all envy, 
pride and hate . . . God, make the door of this house the gateway to Thy 
Eternal Kingdom.” 


JAMES ELLISON COCHRAN 

James Ellison Cochran, born Meriwether County, Georgia, January 24, 
1875, was son of Rufus Cochran and Amanda Plant Cochran, both of Meri¬ 
wether, Amanda being of that Plant family who moved from Georgia to 
Florida and there founded Plant City. 

In Tifton, where James moved in 1899, J. E. Cochran was nicknamed 
“John E.” although his name was not John and he had a brother whose name 
was John. “John E.” set up a watch repair and jewelry shop in the corner of 
Dr. George Smith’s drug store on the site now occupied by Wright’s Main 
Street Store, Tifton. Here he continued until fall of 1906, at which time he 
moved to the location of what is now the Nifty. He was Tifton’s first, and, 
for many years, the town’s only jeweler. 

At Marietta, on March 18, 1908 James E. Cochran was married to Sallie 
Morris, the ceremony being performed at the bride’s home by Dr. Patton, 
fot> more than forty years the pastor of the Marietta Presbyterian Church. 
Miss Morris had come to Tifton to teach, in 1905. She was daughter of Ma¬ 
rion Pitchford Morris (born October 14, 1844, Cobb County, Georgia; died 
June 17, 1903, at Roswell; buried at Marietta) and Arkansas Mayes, called 


390 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Cantie Mayes, born July 14, 1846, Cobb County; married June 30, soon after 
close of War Between the States (died November 16, 1927, at Marietta; 
buried at Marietta). 

Mr. Cochran was a Baptist, and he was a Mason. 

Continuing in the jewelry business until March 1, 1915, Mr. Cochran then 
sold his business to Herbert Luther Moor, who came to Tifton from New¬ 
port, Vermont. 

On January 24, 1926 James Ellison Cochran was killed by a dynamite ex¬ 
plosion on his farm near Tifton. Burial was in Tifton cemetery. 

Sallie Morris Cochran in 1926 began teaching in the Tifton Junior High 
School, of which she was principal from September, 1942 until June, 1946. 

Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Cochran had an only child, Sarah, who married Hull 
Atwater, of Tifton. 

When Governor Joseph Terrell, on Thursday, August 17, 1905, signed the 
bill whereby Tift County was created, he used a gold pen made expressly 
for that purpose, by J. E. Cochran, Tifton jeweler. The pen bore the words, 
“Tift County,” on a pearl name-plate. 

ABRAHAM BENJAMIN CONGER 

Among the early settlers of Berrien County (presently Tift) was Abraham 
Benjamin Conger. He came from the state of New York in 1836 to Lowndes 
County, Georgia, and there married Ann Willis. Shortly after their mar¬ 
riage, they moved to Berrien County, and there acquired considerable landed 
interest and engaged in farming. Although not born in the South, he be¬ 
lieved the cause of the Southern people to be just, and enlisted in the War 
Between the States on the side of the South. To the union of Abraham 
Benjamin Conger and Ann Willis were born five sons, George, Abraham, Jr., 
Barney, Joseph and Jackson. All of these sons settled on nearby farms and 
reared large families. Added to their interests in farming were stock raising, 
naval stores, logging and saw mill businesses. During the early young manhood 
of these sons, there was considerable trouble with the Creek Indians, and 
all of them engaged in the Indian wars of that period. Near the old home¬ 
stead of George Conger are the remains of a log fort which housed the 
womenfolk during the periods of trouble with the Indians. Living conditions 
were very difficult during this period, and in order to carry produce to mar¬ 
ket it was necessary to travel by covered wagons either to Albany or Co¬ 
lumbus. All of these young men married young women from Berrien and 
Worth Counties. 

Abraham Benjamin Conger, Jr., married Elizabeth Young, whose father 
and mother were both born in Berrien County, and they also engaged in 
farming and naval stores operations. Elizabeth Young Conger came of a long 
line of ministers of the gospel. Her great-grandfather, Rev. William Pate, 
was a contemporary of Jesse Mercer and founded more than a hundred 
churches through the central portion of Georgia. He was also a Revolution¬ 
ary hero, was born in Gloucester County, Virginia, in 1750, and was the 
grandson of Major Thomas Pate, of Pettsworth Parish, Virginia, at whose 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


391 


home Nathaniel Bacon, the patriotic rebel leader, died in 1676, who in turn 
was a direct descendant of Lord Edward Pate, Chief Mint Master of King 
Henry VIII. His ancestral line goes back, also to Lord John Ragland, of 
England, whose wife was Ann Beaufort. Another ancestor, the Reverend 
Parkerson, came to America from Sweden just prior to the Revolutionary 
War and served as a captain in that war. A boulder was unveiled to the 
memory of Reverend William Pate by the Daughters of the American 
Revolution at Amboy, Georgia, in 1929. To the union of Abraham Benjamin 
Conger, Jr., and Elizabeth Young were born eleven children, Barney, Jack- 
son, Nelson, Isaac Young. Janies, Minnie, Abraham Benjamin III, twin 
daughters, Sarah and Mary, Green and Dolly. Abraham Benjamin Conger 
II, died in 1909, and Elizabeth Young Conger died in 1940. 

Among the children of Abraham Benjamin II and Elizabeth Conger Isaac 
Young Conger became postmaster at Tifton. He had two sons in World 
War II, Captain Preston DeWitt Conger. Medical Corps, in the European 
theater, who is now practicing medicine at Moultrie, Georgia, and Henry 
Jackson Conger, Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy, graduate of 
Annapolis, and one daughter, Elizabeth Conger Harris, whose husband, 
David P. Harris, served with the Marines in the Pacific theater. 

Abraham IPs and Elizabeth Conger’s daughter Minnie, married Samuel 
Lipps. They had four sons in the service in World War II, and one grand¬ 
son; Sergeant Frank Lipps served in the Pacific area and received five battle 
stars, the Bronze and Silver stars, and the Purple Heart. 

Among the sons of Abraham Benjamin Conger II and Elizabeth Young 
Conger, Abraham Benjamin Conger III has attained a position of promi¬ 
nence in Bainbridge, Georgia, of which he was mayor in 1920-21, succeeding 
J. W. Callohan. Abraham Benjamin Conger III also represented his district 
in the Georgia Legislature in 1915, 1916. He was born in Worth County, 
July 14, 1888, received his early education in the public schools and in Nor¬ 
man Institute, received his A.B. degree from Mercer University in 1911 and 
his Bachelor of Laws degree from Mercer in 1912. Soon after graduation in 
law, Mr. Conger began the practice of law in Bainbridge, where for four 
years he was associated with R. G. Hartsfield. Thereafter he continued his 
practice of law in Bainbridge. 

In 1915, A. B. Conger III married Onys M. Willis, who became president 
of the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs, and also was active in the 
United Daughters of the Confederacy, Daughters of the American Revolu¬ 
tion, Society of Colonial Dames. Daughters of 1812. 

Abraham Benjamin Conger III is a former president of the Decatur Bar 
Association and of the Albany Circuit Bar Association. He is a Mason, a 
member of Rotary Club, of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. He is a deacon in 
the Bainbridge Baptist Church. 

Benjamin Conger and Onys Willis Conger have the following children, 
three of whom were engaged in World War II. Captain Abraham Benjamin 
Conger IV, Medical Corps, European theater; Lieutenant James Willis Con¬ 
ger, Base Legal Officer, Hickan Field. Hawaii; Private First Class Leonard 
Hodges Conger, who participated in the B-5 Program as a student in elec- 


392 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


trical engineering, and Margaret Conger Varner, whose husband, Edwin 
Surles Varner, served in the European theater. 

J. D. Conger was born in Irwin County, Georgia, October 25, 1897. Martha 
Ross was born in 1823 in Irwin County. Her daughter, Nancy Ross, mar¬ 
ried John Smith. John Smith’s daughter, Martha Smith, was born on June 
22, 1845, and married John Drew Roberts, Junior, who was born in Irwin 
County in September, 1847. His father, John Drew Roberts, Senior, was 
born in Irwin County in 1820. Martha Smith married John Drew Roberts, 
Junior, and October 6, 1875 Missouri Caroline Roberts was born. Missouri 
Roberts married in 1896 Bristole Ero Conger, who was born on December 
21, 1874. Her son, George Drew Conger was born on October 25, 1897. He 
Married Annie Laurie Thomas, who was born on April 2, 1898 in Flovilla, 
Georgia. Their daughter, Dorothy Helen Conger, was born December 6, 1921. 

Jesse Wilson (Billy) Lipps, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Lipps of Ty Ty, 
Georgia, entered service February 22, 1941, receiving his basic training at 
Camp Stewart, Savannah, Georgia, was shipped overseas January 7, 1942, 
going to the European theater of war and participated in the following cam¬ 
paigns: North Africa, Sicily, Italy—receiving 5 Battle Stars. His Division 
was the 5th army serving 30 months overseas, arriving back in the States 
September 17, 1945 and receiving his Honorable Discharge at Camp Gordon, 
Augusta, Georgia, October 28, 1945, his rating being Corporal. 

Joseph M. Lipps, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Lipps of Ty Ty, Georgia, en¬ 
tered service of the U. S. Army February 27, 1942 in Columbus, Georgia. 
He first served in the Coast Artillery and later joined the Paratroop Division 
and received his training at the A. G. F. Parachute School, Fort Benning, 
Georgia. He went to the Pacific theater of war June 5, 1945 and was at 
Luzon, Okinawa and different parts of Japan, returning to the states on 
December 13, 1945 and received his Honorable Discharge at Fort McPherson, 
Atlanta, Georgia, December 20, 1945, his rating being a Sergeant. 

James R. Lipps, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Lipps of Ty Ty, Georgia, en¬ 
tered service of the U. S. Navy September 1, 1944. Received his Boot Train¬ 
ing at Bainbridge, Md., later being transferred to Miami, Fla., and from 
there to New Orleans and on to Pacific. Name of ship Chewancan (Indian 
name), was in South Pacific when peace was declared. 

VIRGIL FRANCIS DINSMORE 

Virgil Francis Dinsmore, born in Milton County, Georgia, November 22, 
1875, was son of M. Dinsmore and Mary Grogan Dinsmore. He spent his 
boyhood at Alpharetta, Georgia. 

Reared by four different step-mothers, young Virgil worked hard and sup¬ 
ported himself, saved his money and accumulated several thousand dollars. 
By his own effort he put himself through the Atlanta Medical School and 
through the Bennett College of Medicine and Surgery, Chicago, where he 
graduated, in 1900. 

After graduation young Dinsmore went to Kentucky where he worked 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


393 


among the coal miners in the vicinity of Owensboro, where he remained 
until his coming to Tifton in 1912 or 1914. 

In Kentucky, Dr. Dinsmore met Miss Fannie Belle Kerrick, whom he 
married in 1901. Of this union are the following children: Wilton Dinsmore, 
of Atlanta; Mrs. H. B. McCrea, of Thomasville; Mrs. R. M. Kennon, of 
Tifton. 

The late Col. R. E. Dinsmore of Tifton was a brother to Dr. Dinsmore. 
Half-sisters were Mrs. Lena Overstreet, of Lake City, Florida, and Mrs. 
Savannah Cochran, of Fulton County. 

Dr. Dinsmore had a large practice in and near Tifton. For 21 years he was 
physician to the Tifton Cotton Mills. For twelve or more years he served on 
the Tifton City Council, of which he was for a long time vice-chairman and 
from which, because of ill health, he retired early in 1937. 

Virgil Francis Dinsmore died at his Tifton home, corner of Ridge and 
Sixth Streets August 22, 1937. Funeral services were at the First Baptist 
Church, Tifton, of which he had for many years been a deacon. The services 
were conducted by his pastor, Dr. F. O. Mixon, and by the Reverend M. P. 
Webb, pastor of the Tifton Methodist Church. Funeral was in Tifton ceme¬ 
tery. Tifton druggists were pallbearers. Doctors, dentists, and nurses were 
an honorary escort. 

Dr. Dinsmore was a Mason and was a Woodman of the World. 

JOHN M. DUFF 

John M. Duff, born on the Duff Place, Irwin County, October 14, 1846, 
moved to Berrien County. For three years he served with gallantry in the 
Confederate Army. He was in Company H, 47 Georgia Cavalry. 

At Albany, in 1877 John M. Duff married Blanche Catherine Ransome. Of 
the union were eight children. 

Mr. Duff was in the hardware business for a time. He served as postmas¬ 
ter at Alapaha from 1882 until he came to Tifton in 1890 and became post¬ 
master at Tifton where he served for two years. In 1895 he taught school at 
Zion Hope, near Tifton. On February 1, 1897 he was again appointed Tifton 
postmaster and so continued until his death early in 1907. 

At a meeting of Tifton City Council July 2, 1906, Councilman E. P. Bowen 
presiding Council signed Mr. Duff’s petition to the First Assistant Postmas¬ 
ter General asking for free delivery of mail in Tifton. Council voted thanks 
to Mr. Duff for his effort to secure establishment of free delivery of mail in 
Tifton. 

John M. Duff and Blanch Catherine Ransome Duff are buried at Albany. 
One of their sons was Barney Duff. Another son died as a result of a mule 
kick. Children who survive Mr. Duff were: Mayme Banner (aged twenty-one 
at the time of her father’s death married a Mr. Arnald; lived in Miami; died 
about 1944; buried in Albany); Rawlins (aged eighteen at time of his father’s 
death); Clara Belle (aged eleven at the time of her father’s death; when 
grown, worked at Tifton post office; later was transferred to Miami). 


394 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


RALEIGH EVE 

Raleigh Eve was born on August 7, more than seventy years ago at Ashe¬ 
ville, North Carolina. His father, Charles W. Eve was editor of “The Ashe¬ 
ville Pioneer” and his mother, Kate Emerson Reese Eve was daughter of 
Dr. Jefferson B. M. Reese and was a niece of Judge William B. Reese, Chief 
Justice of the Supreme Court of Tennessee. 

After completing, his public school education in Washington, D. C., Raleigh 
Eve came to Adairsville, Georgia, where he worked for the Western and 
Atlantic Railroad, which had been leased by Governor Joseph E. Brown, a 
kinsman of Raleigh’s mother. Working as agent and working in telegraph}' 
at Adairsville, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and at Trion, Georgia, he con¬ 
tinued with the railroad seven years. 

In the fall of 1896 Raleigh came to South Georgia, going first to Fitz¬ 
gerald, where he remained for only several months before coming to Tifton. 
In Tifton he worked for Henry Harding Tift until April, 1898, at which 
time Eve left for service in the Spanish-American War, in which he served 
as a non-commissioned officer. 

Raleigh Eve had long been interested in law, and when he returned from 
the war he began to study law. He was one of the first to take a written 
examination after the passing of the law requiring that type of examination. 
He took his Georgia Bar examination in Thomasville in 1901, under Judge 
Augustin Hansell, Judge of the old Southern Circuit of which Berrien, now 
Tift, was then a part. 

After being admitted to the bar, Mr. Eve practiced law in Tifton until 
1907, when he became judge. He served as judge of the Tifton City Court 
for ten years and thereafter became judge of the newly created Tifton Circuit 
in which capacity he has served from the creation of the circuit in 1916 until 
the present time. Also he is the senior trial judge in Georgia. 

On October 15, 1910 there had arrived in Tifton a young woman, 
Miss Jewell Vivian Strickland. She had been working in Atlanta 
but had expressed to her friend, Miss Lizzie O. Thomas, executive secretary 
of the Atlanta Y. W. C. A., her desire to change her position. Miss Thomas, 
a retired missionary to Japan, was a woman of much charm and was the 
original of the character, Miss Dixon, in Frances Little’s book, “The Lady of 
The Decoration.” Miss Little told Vivian that a friend of hers had been re¬ 
quested by Henry Tift, of Tifton, to be on the lookout for a good secretary 
for him. An appointment was arranged for Miss Strickland and Henry Tift 
in the office of an Atlanta lumber company. Before the interview Vivian, 
Henry Tift, and the friend watched from the office windows a parade staged 
in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt, whom she saw from the window. 
There was wild enthusiasm; for President Roosevelt was son of a Georgian, 
beautiful Mittie Bullock of nearby Roswell, where Mittie and Theodore 
Roosevelt, Sr., had been married at stately Bullock Hall, built by Major 
James S. Bullock in 1840, of great oak timbers to obtain which he had sent 
all the way to Augusta. 

When the excitement of the parade was over Vivian had the interview 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


395 


with Mr. Tift and he engaged her to be his secretary. She was an excellent 
secretary. Judge Eve met her and liked her and she liked him. Judge Eve 
found her charming and he paid her court. They were married on the eve¬ 
ning of Wednesday, December 16, 1914. After the ceremony Dr. and Mrs. 
Nichols Peterson were hosts at supper honoring the bride and groom. Among 
those present were Mrs. H. H. Tift, Rev. Durden, and Miss Nan Wicker, 
later Nan Clements, who became principal of Tifton Junior High School. 

After the wedding supper the Eves went to an apartment which Judge 
Eve had furnished for his bride at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Perryman 
Moores where they lived for six months after their marriage. 

Jewell Vivian Strickland was born in Meriwether County. She was daugh¬ 
ter of Solomon Pace Strickland of Whitesberg, Georgia, and Mary Frances 
Key, of Harris County, near Warm Springs. Jewel, as a child, used to love 
to visit her grandmother whose plantation was land now embraced in the 
famous Pine Mountain Valley Farm Project, dear to the heart of Franklin 
Delano Roosevelt. 

To Judge Eve and Jewell Vivian was born a son, Robert Worth Eve, so 
named in compliance with a recommendation of the Worth County Grand 
Jury; for Judge Eve was holding court in Worth County when he received 
word of the birth of his son on November 26, 1917, and the Grand Jury 
recommended that he name the child Worth, which the parents did. Robert 
Worth Eve graduated from Tifton High School in 1934; graduated from 
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in 1936; graduated from the Univer¬ 
sity of Georgia in 1938; took further work at Cornell. Since completing his 
studies Robert Eve has been with the United States Farm Security Adminis¬ 
tration at Vienna, and at Camilla. 

Judge Eve has through the years of his Tifton residence been identified 
prominently with practically every civic enterprise that has been for prog¬ 
ress. He codified the laws of the city of Tifton in 1907; he served for many 
years as chairman of the Board of Education of Tifton. He has served as 
president of the Board of Trade. He is a former chairman of the Board of 
Stewards of the Tifton Methodist Church. In 1941 he was appointed chair¬ 
man of the advisory commission of the Jefferson Davis Memorial, near Ir- 
winville. He was for many years president of the Country Club at Gun Lake. 
He was organizer and is president of the Tift County Audubon Society. He 
was organizer and is president of the Tift County Historical Society, and is 
official Tift County Historian, appointed by the Grand Jury to arrange for 
the compiling of the history of Tift County. Carrying out this request re¬ 
sulted in the founding of the Historical Society which appointed writers to 
compile and write the history, which is incorporated in this volume. 

Judge Eve early in his career as judge appointed probation officers and 
he has availed himself of their services, often taking care of youthful or 
first offenders by use of suspended sentences. 

Judge Eve has served in three wars. Besides serving in the Spanish-Ameri- 
can War, he was commissioned as captain of Georgia state troops in World 


396 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


War I, and in World War II he was commissioned Major in the 25 Georgia 
Defense Corps. 

However, he is a peace-loving, home body, and when his work is over he 
walks home and enjoys the good food that Jewell has with her own hands 
prepared for him, and he is welcomed not only by her but by a long-eared 
Spaniel who barks a joyous welcome. 

THE FLETCHERS 

Joseph Fletcher, the pioneer of the Fletcher family, married Mary Henly. 
They came from Telfair County and settled west of Irwinville, on what in 
1912 was called the Smith place. Their children were: William, Jehu, Hor¬ 
ton, John, Sandy, Jim, Wiley, Elbert, Sophie, Millie, Polly, Van, Dora, Jen¬ 
nie or Jinsey, and Martha. From these are a host of descendants many of 
whom are citizens of Tift County. They are a sturdy, God-fearing, industrious 
people who have been a constructive element in the community. 

For further information of the Fletchers see article b) r Smada, Tifton 
Gazette of Jan. 5, 1912; also, see William Henderson’s book ‘‘Henderson and 
Whiddon Families,” pp. 137-141; also Ibid, 282-288. 

Jim, called “Black Jim” Fletcher, was tax receiver, treasurer, and repre¬ 
sentative of Irwin County. He was a son of William Fletcher, and was 
grandson of pioneer Joseph Fletcher. Black Jim married Melissa Paulk and 
had four children, one of whom, Margaret, (born January 6, 1862), married 
Jonathan Walker on February 23, 1881, and became the mother of James 
Walker, born February 7, 1886, long time sheriff of Tift County. 

Another Fletcher who achieved outstanding success in Tift County was 
Daniel Fletcher, born in Berrien County, September 18, 1867, son of Elbert 
and Catherine (Katy) McMillan Fletcher. Daniel was reared at Alapaha. On 
November 22, 1891 he married Mattie Churchwell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. 
John Churchwell, Sr, and sister to John H. and A. F. Churchwell. Dan 
Fletcher and Mattie established a home on Route 4, near Tifton, and there 
remained for more than half a century, until Daniel’s death on Thursday, 
March 28, 1946. Daniel Fletcher was buried in Tifton cemetery. 

By occupation a farmer, Daniel Fletcher was one of the most extensive 
land owners of the community at the time of his death, and was deeply 
revered as to his character. He was a Mason and was a member of Mount 
Olive Primitive Baptist Church, where his funeral was held. 

Daniel Fletcher’s mother died November 4, 1930, aged ninety-one years, 
six months. His father died more than fifty years prior to Daniel’s death. 

Daniel was survived by his widow and eight children, Erris, John H, 
Daniel, Jr, Mrs. Virginia Corley, of Tifton; Melvin, of Fitzgerald; Mrs. Fre- 
donia Simmons, Mrs. Edgar Pritchett, Miss Sara Fletcher, of Albany. 

DANIEL ARCHIBALD FULWOOD 

Daniel Archibald Fulwood, born at Fort Valley, February 3, 1833, was 
son of Jonathan and Mary Fulwood who died when he was a child. He was 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


397 


reared by his grandfather Fulwood, a Methodist minister who had come 
from North Carolina to Georgia and was one of the pioneers of Houston 
County. Daniel’s uncle, Charles Fulwood, of his grandfather’s household, was 
like a brother to him. 

On October 28, 1855 Daniel Fulwood married Caroline Elizabeth Mur¬ 
ray (1832-June 15, 1906) and to them were born nine children, three of 
whom died in infancy. Daniel entered the Confederate Army and fought 
under General Longstreet. In the battle of Sharpsburg, Virginia, Fulwood 
lost his left leg. 

After the war Daniel, though crippled, valiantly assumed his responsibili¬ 
ties toward his young and dependent family whom he reared to be useful, 
God-fearing citizens. 

In 1882 Mr. Fulwood moved his family to near Alapaha in Berrien Coun¬ 
ty. After a year in the country he moved into Alapaha where the Fulwood 
family lived until 1898 when he moved to Tifton, where he continued to live 
for the rest of his life. 

Daniel Fulwood’s uncle, Charles Fulwood, became an eminent Methodist 
minister. Charles was a trustee of Emory College, was a member of the old 
Georgia Conference and later was a member of the old Florida Conference. 
He served in the ministry for sixty years and died while making his report 
as Presiding Elder to the Florida Conference. 

Daniel lived to see his son C. W. Fulwood mayor of Tifton, and also lived 
to see gathered about him four generations of boys and girls of his family. 
He died at the home of his son, C. W. Fulwood, at Tifton, January 24, 1921. 
Daniel and his wife are buried at Tifton cemetery. A daughter, Emma Smith, 
(Mrs. F. O. Baker), of Alapaha, died in November, 1917. The children who 
survived Daniel were: I. A., and C. W. Fulwood, Willie Lee (Mrs. John G. 
Padrick), of Tifton; E. J. Fulwood, of Adel; Miss Lizzie Fulwood, then of 
Macon but now of Tifton. 

Birth date: Feb. 3, 1833. 

Death date: Jan. 24, 1921. 

COLUMBUS WESLEY FULWOOD 

Columbus Wesley Fulwood was born May 12, 1865, near Fort Valley, in 
Houston, now Peach County, Georgia. He was son of the Confederate soldier 
Daniel Archibald Fulwood (q.v.) and Carolyn Elizabeth Murray Fulwood. 

Columbus received his schooling in Fort Valley. He did not go to college, 
but he was a lover of good books and was a great reader. As a youth he 
came to Berrien County where for two years he boarded with the family of 
a Dr. Foegal of Alapaha, while he worked part of the time at a sawmill, and 
some of the time at a drug store. 

Daniel then desired that Columbus select for him a farm in the vicinity of 
Alapaha, which Columbus did. He chose a place about seven miles from 
Alapaha and the entire Fulwood family, excepting the oldest son, Isaac 
Archibald Fulwood, moved to the farm. Isaac remained in Fort Valley. Co¬ 
lumbus, however, was of the plantation household. 


398 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


After two years on the farm the Fulwoods moved into Alapaha, and there 
Columbus Wesley Fulwood began reading law with Colonel William I. 
Lastinger. Fulwood stood his bar examination at Nashville and he began 
practicing law in Alapaha where he and Colonel C. I. Stacey formed a part¬ 
nership. 

Some time prior to this there had been living in Savannah a young woman 
by the name of Meta Dearing. Her father had died and her mother had mar¬ 
ried again and Meta came to Alapaha to make her home with her married 
sister, Mrs. Ib Giddings. Columbus met, wooed and won Meta, and they were 
married at the Alapaha Methodist Church, the only church in town then, 
the pastor, the Reverend J. M. Foster, performing the ceremony. 

To Columbus and Meta was born in Alapaha a daughter whom they 
named Carolyn Lee Fulwood, for Mr. F'ulwood’s mother and one of his sis¬ 
ters. Before the baby was two years old Columbus, Meta and little Carrie 
moved to Tifton where C. W. Fulwood practiced law until his death. In Tif- 
ton were born to Columbus and Meta Fulwood seven other children. 

When C. W. Fulwood came to Tifton the place was a small sawmill vil¬ 
lage. Mr. Fulwood and Tifton’s founder, Henry Tift, became close and 
staunch friends and Fulwood was for many years Mr. Tift’s legal adviser. 
Mr. Tift held Mr. Fulwood in high esteem and when Henry Tift gave to the 
City of Tifton for a park a large tract of land heavily wooded in virgin 
growth long leaf yellow pines he named the park Fulwood Park in honor of 
his friend, Columbus Wesley Fulwood, who helped him draw up the papers 
of conveyance to the city. 

In 1934 the Tifton Garden Club, by popular subscription, erected at one 
entrance to the park a stone gateway on which is inscribed: “This arch erect¬ 
ed as a token of appreciation to C. W. Fulwood whose tireless and unceas¬ 
ing efforts have made this park possible and to H. H. Tift, who donated 
the original park site.” The inscription at the right reads: “Erected 1934 by 
the Tifton Garden Club, by popular subscription. Officers, Mrs. Warren 
Baker, president; Mrs. Fred Bell, 1st vice-president; Mrs. R. R. Forrester, 
2nd vice-president; Mrs. H. E. Herring, treasurer; Miss F. K. Hollinsworth, 
secretary; C. W. Fulwood, Jr., architect; W. P. Brown, contractor.” The 
dedicatory address was made by Lennon Bowen. 

In 1893 when Mayor W. H. Love resigned his office as mayor of Tifton, 
Columbus W. Fulwood was elected Tifton’s second mayor and began the 
duties of his office on May 1, 1893 at a meeting held at the office of H. H. 
Tift, the oath of office having been subscribed before W. W. Rutherford on 
April 11, 1893. At the first meeting of his mayorality it was ordered that a 
committee be appointed to confer with the Brunswick and Western railroad 
relative to street crossings and furnishing better depot facilities at Tifton. 
Councilmen H. H. Tift and E. P. Bowen were appointed on this committee. 
A Board of Health was appointed as follows: Dr. J. C. Goodman, Dr. J. A. 
McCrea, Messrs. E. P. Bowen, J. H. Knight and C. A. Williams. J. H. Good¬ 
man was Tifton Council clerk. Mr. Williams asked to be released from serv¬ 
ing on the board and at the next meeting John C. Hind was appointed in his 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


399 


place. Mr. Hind, a Canadian, was Tifton’s earliest contractor, who, in Feb- 
ruary, 1891, requested that Council set a fee for a contractor’s license, which 
was done. 

Prior to Mr. Fulwood’s becoming mayor, Tifton Council meetings were 
held at the office of H. H. Tift. On August 22, 1893 Council met in Mr. Ful¬ 
wood’s office, and thereafter they sometimes met in Tift’s office and some¬ 
times in Fulwood’s. 

At the August 22, 1893 meeting of Council steps were taken to try to 
prevent the importation of the dread yellow fever peril. A quarantine was 
ordered and extra police employed to enforce it. Council voted thanks to W. 
O. Tift for his offer of use of a vacant house on the Tifton and Northeastern 
Railroad for use as a pest house, if needed. Later, Dame Rumor had her say, 
and Tifton business men, fearful that their profits would be imperiled were 
dismayed. Council passed an ordinance whereby it became a punishable of¬ 
fense to “originate a false rumor” relative to yellow fever or to “repeat one 
whether true or false.” Punishment was set at not less than five dollars and 
not more than fifty dollars, in default of which a culprit was to work upon 
the public works for a term of not less than ten or more than a hundred days. 
The quarantine was raised at a meeting in Mayor Fulwood’s office, Septem¬ 
ber 13, 1893. Present were Mayor Fulwood, Councilmen B. T. Allen, E. P. 
Bowen, W. T. Hargrett, J. C. Goodman. Allen was clerk pro tern. 

C. W. Fulwood served as mayor of Tifton during 1894 also. That year 
city officers were elected as follows: Dr. J. A. McCrea, mayor pro tem.; 
J. H. Goodman, clerk and treasurer; W. T. McGuirt, marshal. Dr. J. A. 
McCrea was elected city physician. 

At a meeting of council on April 2, 1894, at office of H. H. Tift, the fire 
limits of the city of Tifton were established. Also the matter of city lights 
was taken up. It was ordered that two street lamps, one north of the Bruns¬ 
wick and Western Railway tracks and one south of them be placed at the 
B. and W.'crossing; also one west side of Georgia, Southern and Florida 
Railway crossing, and same to be kept filled and lighted by the marshal. 

Mayor Fulwood held office in 1895 also, but in 1896 he was succeeded by 
F. G. Boatright who became Tifton’s third mayor. 

During the long period that C. W. Fulwood practiced law in Tifton he 
had a number of men associated with him. His first law partner was Colonel 
J. A. Alexander, who later moved to Nashville. Others were Holmes Murray, 
Colonel Skeen of Atlanta, and in later years Mr. Fulwood’s youngest son, 
John Goodman Fulwood. 

In 1895 J. A. Alexander, Colonel C. W. Fulwood and C. C. S. Baldridge 
bought the Tifton Gazette from B. T. Allen (see article on B. T. Allen, this 
volume), and Baldridge and Fulwood later organized the Gazette Publishing 
Company. 

C. W. Fulwood was the first president of the Country Club at Gun Lake, 
organized 1912. 

The Fulwood home for many years was the house at the southwest corner 


*100 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


of Ridge at Sixth Street. Here Miss Carrie Fulwood and her brother, Charlie 
Fulwood, still make their home. 

Meta Dearing Fulwood, born October 23, 1868, died April 11, 1930. Co¬ 
lumbus Wesley Fulwood died May 5, 1936. Both are buried in Tifton ceme¬ 
tery. 

Children of Columbus Wesley and Meta Dearing Fulwood are: 

1. Carolyn Lee Fulwood, of Tifton; at Tifton Post Office. 

2. Paul Dearing Fulwood, of Tifton, married Ruth Vickers; is in plant 
business. 

3. Charles Wesley Fulwood, of Tifton; architect. 

4. Helen Fulwood (born August 26, 1895—died August 1, 19 4 2) married 
Jene Whitaker, of Valdosta. 

5. Martha Fulwood, a trained nurse, stationed at Fort McPherson. 

6. Mary Fulwood (died in infancy); twin to Martha. 

7. Grace Fulwood; married Colonel W. W. Outerbridge, credited with hav¬ 
ing ordered fired the first shot fired by the United States in World War II, at 
Pearl Harbor. 

8. John Goodman Fulwood, Tifton lawyer; married Susie Moore Bowen. 

JAMES SMITH GAULDING 

James Smith Gaulding was second son of Archibald Alexander Gaulding 
whom Lucian Lamar Knight in his “Georgia Landmarks, Memorials and 
Legends,” Vol. I, p. 929, lists as among the thirty original settlers of Spald¬ 
ing County, which was carved out of Pike and Henry Counties in Decem¬ 
ber 1851. Griffin is the county seat. Archibald Alexander married Sarah Hor¬ 
ton, of Griffin, and to them were born six children: Joe, James, Smith, 
Charlie, Willie, Fannie, and Mamie. Archibald moved from Griffin to At¬ 
lanta where he was a newspaper editor prior to the War Between the States. 
He died in Atlanta when between sixty and seventy years of age and Sarah 
soon followed him in death. 

1. Joe Gaulding and his wife, Mary, were the parents of Willard Gaulding, 
Sr., whose son, Willard Gaulding, Jr., is in the Bank of Tifton. 

3. Charlie married in Texas and there died. Issue: one daughter. 

4. Willie died, aged about seventeen, unmarried. 

5. Fannie married Dr. Charles Boyd. No issue. She died in Macon; he in 
Savannah. 

6. Mamie married George Bowen. They moved to Pelham. Issue: Walter, 
Charlie, Mamie, Pearl. 

2. James Smith Gaulding, second son of A. A. and Sarah Horton Gauld¬ 
ing, was born in Griffin. He, when a small boy, moved with his parents to 
Atlanta and there attended school. In 1861, when eighteen years old, he 
joined the Confederate Army in which he was one of the Nelson Rangers, 
made up of young men from Atlanta under command of Captain Nelson. 
Gaulding was in the cavalry and served for the four years of the war, but 
came through unhurt. 

Soon after the close of the war James Smith visited his brother, Joe, in 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


401 


Levy County, Florida. There he met and, in 1866, married Juliet Elizabeth 
McCall, daughter of Lewis McCall and Mary Knight McCall. After their 
marriage James Smith Gaulding and his wife came to Joshlyn, Georgia, a 
small sawmill village between Jacksonville and Waycross. After about a 
year there they came to Tifton, where James Smith arrived on June 3, 1879. 

James spent his first night in Tifton in the uppermost room of the tall 
house that was H. H. Tift’s and Bessie Tift’s first home after Henry brought 
Bess to Tifton after their honeymoon. James went to work at the Tift 
Sawmill and worked there as a sawyer for fourteen years, at which time 
failing health necessitated his stopping. He owned a farm on the Ocilla 
Road not far from Tifton and after leaving the mill he spent his time either 
at the farm or in Tifton until his death, which occurred on the 3rd of June, 
1930, on the anniversary of his arrival in Tifton, and in the home of his son, 
Jack Gaulding, on Second Street, within a hundred yards of the place where 
he had spent his first night in Tifton fifty-one years earlier. Dr. Nichols 
Peterson said that he died of old age—“Just wore out.” He was eighty-five. 

To James Smith Gaulding and Juliet Elizabeth McCall Gaulding were born 
ten children: Sallie, Charlie, Mary, Parker, Joe, Henry, Jack, Alice, Doney, 
Bob. 

Jack Gaulding, son of James Smith Gaulding, was born November 10, 1881, 
at Tifton, in a four-room house which formerly stood where the Hotel 
Myon now is but which stood there prior to the building of the old Hotel 
Sadie. Jack Gaulding was said to be in 1946, the oldest living citizen of Tif¬ 
ton, that is, had been a citizen of Tifton longer than any other person living 
in Tifton in 1946. On March 27, 1900, in Irwin County, Jack Gaulding mar¬ 
ried Miss Mary Jane Branch, daughter of Wiley Branch, Sr., and Sarah 
Young Branch. Issue: Alda, James, Camilla, Joe, Dan. 

The following -article about Mr. J. W. Gaulding was copied from the Tif¬ 
ton Gazette: 

Mr. Gaulding was born in Pike County, Georgia, March 23, 1867, being 
sixty-one on his last birthday. He was a son of J. H. and Mary Jane Gauld- 
ing, his father dying when he was a boy . . . He came to Tifton in 1893 and 
was associated in the mercantile business with Shepherd and Manard. When 
this business was reorganized under the name of L. S. Shepherd and Com¬ 
pany, Mr. Gaulding became a member of the firm, and continued his con¬ 
nection with this business until his death. Mr. Gaulding had been a cotton 
buyer practically ever since he came to Tifton and was for many years 
cotton buyer for the Tifton Cotton Mills, in which he owned stock. 

Mr. Gaulding served several terms as a member of the Tifton City Coun¬ 
cil and also as mayor pro tern. He had been prominently associated with the 
business life of Tifton for more than a third of a century. He was a mem¬ 
ber of the Methodist Church ... He was an excellent business man, a good 
neighbor, kind, loving and devoted father, and a true friend 

June 3, 1903, Mr. Gaulding was married to Miss Vonnie Summer, of Se- 
noia, Georgia, at Blue Springs, Florida. Their two children are a son, L. W. 
Gaulding and a daughter, Elizabeth Gaulding. 


402 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


JAMES LAWRENCE GREENE 
JOHN BURWELL GREENE 
LEOLA JUDSON GREENE 

James Lawrence Greene and Martha Randolph Hannon Greene were living 
in Taylor County, Georgia, when their son, John Burwell Greene, was born 
November 5, 1843. James was a descendant of the Greene family of which 
General Nathaneal Greene, of Revolutionary fame, was a member, and 
Martha was of the family of which was John Hancock, of Virginia. John 
Burwell Greene was a descendant of Burwell Greene, Revolutionary soldier 
whose grave is in the Forsyth, Georgia cemetery. Burwell married a widow, 
Mrs. Nancy King. 

When nineteen, John Burwell Greene enlisted in the Confederate Army. He 
was under Captain Dunlap, Company B, 36 Georgia Regiment. After serving 
through the Vicksburg campaign he spent several months at Lauder¬ 
dale Springs Hospital, at first as a patient, later as a nurse. 

Greene’s company was sent to aid General Bragg in defense of Chicka- 
mauga. On the afternoon of the last day of the battle he was wounded in the 
side by a shell fragment. Captured, he was carried to Camp Douglas prison, 
Chicago, where he remained twenty-one months. Then came peace and 
blessed release. On May 20, 1865, he reached home. 

In 1866 in Taylor County John joined the Methodist Church at Turner’s 
Chapel. On November 17 of next year he married Miss Margaret Emerline 
Boothe. Children of this union were Caroline, Burton, Martha, Catherine, 
Leola, Joseph, and Burwell. Burwell died in infancy; the other children 
throve. In 1880, John Burwell, Margaret, and the children, riding through 
country in a covered wagon, journeyed to Berrien County, after having stayed 
about six months near a mill in Coffee County. They came to Tifton 
where Mr. Greene worked for a while before beginning work for H. H. Tift, 
Tifton’s founder. Mr. Tift had numerous farms and John Burwell Greene 
became superintendent of eight of Tift’s large farms, and on horseback 
would ride from one farm to another overseeing the work. He carried on 
for Mr. Tift what amounted to a private experiment station, for Tift wished 
to ascertain what crops would best thrive in this section. 

In 1892 Greene grew the first tobacco grown in what is now Tift County; 
and until a few years ago, the old tobacco barn used by John Burwell 
Greene for curing, still stood on the property now owned by the Georgia 
Coastal Plain Experiment Station. Also, he had forty acres in blue Con¬ 
cord grapes and the grapes were shipped by the carload from Tifton. Also he 
grew various vegetables. Later he worked for W. O. Tift, H. H.’s brother. 

Before John Burwell Greene had been in Tifton a year, his beloved Mar¬ 
garet, who had made the long ride here with him, died, in September. When 
nearly a year and a half had dragged by and it was spring again, he wed 
Margaret’s sister, Julia, whom he married in May of 1882. Julia, born in 
Taylor County, June 16, 1846, was kind and loving to Margaret’s children 
and was as nearly as possible like an own mother to them. The children 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


403 


were taught by their grandfather, James Lawrence Greene, who had attend¬ 
ed the oldest college in Georgia. He taught in a one-room log cabin about 
one and a half miles north of the farm on which John lived, and gradually 
other children than his grandchildren came to him to be taught, long be¬ 
fore Tifton Institute was founded. 

John Burwell Greene and his wife, Julia, were among the six organizers 
of the Tifton Methodist Church, and John’s name is the first name on the 
church roll. For many years he was the only steward of the church, of 
which he was a loyal member all his life. 

The Greenes lived for many years in the country in a house built for them 
by H. H. Tift upon one of the Tift farms. It was the same now owned by 
Willingham Tift, of Atlanta, and used by him as a country home. In this 
house three of Mr. Greene’s children were married: The eldest married 
John L. Herring; Caroline Neisler Greene married Oscar F. Sheppard; 
Catherine married James W. Hannon. 

John Burwell Greene died Tifton, November 29, 1908. Julia died in Tifton, 
January 2, 1914. Both are buried in Tifton Cemetery. 

When John L. Herring bought the controlling interest in the Gazette 
from Briggs Carson, Leola Greene, who had been born in Macon County, 
1875, began work at the Gazette. She wrote; she set type. At one time or 
another she did everything that was to be done. For fifty years she has writ¬ 
ten up Tifton’s weddings, births and deaths, and Miss Leola’s wedding 
stories are famous. Hers is the gift of descriptive writing, and her travel 
stories which have appeared in the Gazette are vivid and interesting. Notably 
so are those on the Okefenokee and those on Duck Island. Every one ad¬ 
mires and loves Miss Leola, and her fiftieth anniversary of writing for the 
Gazette was a time of many congratulations. 


THE GIBBS FAMILY 

The Gibbs family has many members in Tift County and surrounding ter¬ 
ritory. The large size of the Gibbs family precludes the setting forth of a 
comprehensive genealogy in the limited space of this volume. Such however, 
is to be found on PP. 91-101 in the valuable genealogy, “Family Record of 
the Henderson and Whiddon Families and their Descendants,” written by 
William Henderson of Ocilla and printed by the Byrd Printing Company, 
Atlanta, in 1926. Also, that genealogist “Smada,” whose real name was Pat¬ 
rick Adams, to whom Tifton is deeply indebted because of his many valuable 
articles on “Old Families of Irwin,” has an article on the Gibbs family in 
the Tifton Gazette of March 22, 1912. 

James Gibbs, born February 28, 1818, married September 19, 1841, Mahala 
Henderson Paulk, born August 24, 1824, daughter of Nancy Henderson 
Paulk. James and Mahala settled near Little River four miles from where 
Ty Ty now is. They reared a family and then moved to the old Jake Clem¬ 
ents place where both died. Both are buried at Hickory Springs cemetery. 

To James and Mahala Gibbs were born eight children: Ellen (born May 


404 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


16, 1844; married, first, Lott Ross; second Jacob C. Clements). 2. Martha 
(born July 28, 1846; married John Warmack). 3. Jacob (born July 18, 1847; 
died 1870). 4. Catherine (born July 29, 1850; married W. E. Williams). 5. 
Allen (born March 5, 1853; married Sallie Warren). 6. John (born Novem¬ 
ber 13, 1865; married Sallie Willis). 7. James (born July 29, 1848; married, 
first Polly Warren; second, Mrs. Mary Paulk, widow of Hon. George Paulk). 
7. Frankie. 

Of the above children James Gibbs, Jr., became Elder James Gibbs, a 
Primitive Baptist minister who was an influence for good in the community 
over a long period of years and was greatly beloved. Among his charges was 
Hickory Springs Primitive Baptist Church. Elder Gibbs was called “Uncle 
Babe Gibbs.” The book on the Henderson and Whiddon families gives Elder 
James’s wife as Mary Warren, whereas Smada says that he was twice mar¬ 
ried; first, to Polly Warren; second, to Mary Paulk, widow of George Paulk. 

To Elder James Gibbs and Polly Warren were born nine children. One 
of these, H. F. Gibbs, married Ruby Lee Partridge. Of this union were a 
number of children of whom one, Ralph Laverne Gibbs, born August 4, 1917, 
became a pianist of exceptional ability. His promising career was cut short 
by his death in World War II (see sketch of Ralph Gibbs, chapter of World 
War soldiers, this volume). 

To John and Sallie Willis Gibbs were born six children: Silas, Lonnie. 
Ernest, Earl, Carl, Clayton. Of these,\ Earl Gibbs, born April 1, 1897, has 
since January 1, 1941, been clerk of court of Tift County, succeeding Henry 
D. Webb, who succeeded Mr. Peeples, first clerk of court of Tift County. 
Earl Gibbs on March 20, 1918 married Stella Bowen, daughter of Isaac 
Stephen Bowen. They have one daughter, Sarah Bowen Gibbs, born Novem¬ 
ber 24, 1920. 


JOSEPH JACKSON GOLDEN 

Joseph Jackson Golden was born September 18, 1868, son of Arch Golden 
and Abigail McClellan Golden, of near Sparks, Berrien County, Georgia. 
After receiving his schooling in Tifton, J. J. Golden went to Sibley where 
he was a planing mill foreman. In April, 1893 he returned to Tifton and be¬ 
came planing mill foreman at the H. H. Tift lumber mill. With him from 
Sibley came R. E. Hall and they shared a room at old Sadie Hotel, and con¬ 
tinued to room together until Hall married. Hall was at the mill as sawyer 
at the time that Golden was foreman. (See article on R. E. H.) In Tifton, 
on August 11, 1897, J. J. Golden married Mamie McLeod, daughter of Daniel 
Washington McLeod and Katherine Parker McLeod, formerly of North 
Carolina. Mamie was a sister of Ben McLeod, and of Mrs. D. B. Harrell. 
About 1903, Mr. Golden went into the hardware business and in this con¬ 
tinued for many years. Also he and R. E. Hall bought adjoining farms. Later 
Mr. Golden’s farm and part of that of Mr. Hall went into the area comprised 
in the Tifton Airport. 

On November 28, 1903 W. W. Timmons, councilman of Tifton resigned in 
order to be eligible to accept the nomination as mayor. J. J. Golden at the 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


405 


same meeting was elected to fill Mr. Timmons’s unexpired term. He served 
on Tifton City Council in 1904 and 1905 when Timmons was mayor in 1906, 
1907, and 1908 when S. M. Clyatt was mayor, from October 5, throughout 
1908 when W. W. Banks succeeded Mayor Clyatt resigned. Golden was on 
the Tifton school board in 1904, 5 and 6. He served on the standing com¬ 
mittee on accounts for several years, beginning in 1904, and was on various 
other important committees. In 1909 he was elected for a term of two years 
on the Tifton Sinking Fund Committee. 

Few men have had so great a part in the public affairs of the city of Tif¬ 
ton as has Mr. Golden. A quiet, unassuming man as to manner, he has been 
a powerful influence for accomplishment of nearly every project for the 
growth and betterment of the town. In 1921 he was a member of Tifton’s 
first city commission. 

Many years ago Mr. Golden gave up the hardware business in favor of 
farming, in which he continues 

Mrs. Golden is a gifted singer and for more than thirty years was choir 
director of the First Baptist Church of Tifton. 

Mr. and Mrs. Golden have an only child, Josie, a skilled pianist and organ¬ 
ist who has been organist at the Tifton Baptist Church for many years and 
so continues. She married J. J. Clyatt. (See sketch of Mrs. Clyatt in Who’s 
Who, this volume.) 


DR. JOHN CHARLES GOODMAN 

By a Tifton Pioneer 

John Charles Goodman was of English descent, his grandfather having 
come to the United States from England the latter part of the eighteenth 
century. He located in Nansemond County, Virginia, and it was there that 
he met and later married Miss Parthenia Barnes. He was a member of the 
Church of England and was a good and useful citizen. Such was the goodly 
heritage of this Tifton pioneer in both grandfather and father. 

John Charles, the son of Barnes Goodman and Harriet Benton Goodman, 
was born in Gates County, North Carolina. His early education was under 
Martin Kellogg, an outstanding teacher of his time. Young Goodman re¬ 
ceived his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina, 
and his degree in medicine from the University of Virginia. His medical edu¬ 
cation was completed at Bellevue Hospital, New York City. 

He married Miss Henrietta Ann Goodman, a distant cousin. She, too, had 
splendid educational advantages. After graduation from the Woman’s College 
in Warrenton, North Carolina, she was for several years a member of the 
faculty of her Alma Mater. 

When war between the States was declared, Dr. Goodman offered his serv¬ 
ices and served the four years as surgeon in Lee’s division of the Confeder¬ 
ate Army, the hospital base being at Richmond, Virginia. At the close of 
the war he returned home to resume the practice of medicine, but not in 
Gates County, North Carolina. He, his wife and little son, Charles Hutchins, 


406 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


moved across the county and state to Somerton, Nansemond County, Vir¬ 
ginia, where they lived until they moved to Georgia in 1881. It was in Somer¬ 
ton the other children were born, John Hawkins, Marietta (Mrs. E. L. Vick¬ 
ers), Catherine Williams (Mrs. W. Marvin Thurman), James Henry (Harry), 
and Harriet Benton (Mrs. W. L. Harman). 

When Dr. Goodman came to Georgia he and his eldest son Charles, who 
had just finished business school, entered the naval stores business near 
Alapaha in Berrien county, which business they operated for a number of 
years, Dr. Goodman continuing his practice of medicine. 

When the Georgia Southern and Florida railroad was built, it crossed the 
Atlantic Coast Line at Tifton. The building of this railroad opened up a new 
territory in South Georgia and gave Tifton the prospect of becoming a real 
town instead of remaining a saw mill village as it was at that time. Dr. 
Goodman was far-sighted enough to see this, so in 1890 he left the turpen¬ 
tine farm in care of his son and moved his family to Tifton. He rented a 
small house next to Captain H. H. Tift’s home and there the Goodmans lived 
the first year in Tifton. 

Dr. Goodman opened an office and was soon busily engaged with his 
practice. In a few months he began the erection of a dwelling on the corner 
of what was later Second Street and Central Avenue. It was burned a few 
years ago, thus removing one of Tifton’s earliest landmarks. During the same 
year the Goodman house was built, Dr. Goodman built a store on the cor¬ 
ner of Railroad and Third Streets and in this building he opened Tifton’s 
first drug store. Later the business was moved to the Bowen building on the 
corner of Second Street and Lose Avenue, this being a more suitable loca¬ 
tion for a drug store. 

Dr. Goodman’s two sons, Hawkins and Harry, were graduate pharmacists; 
the former was associated with his father until he went to Fitzgerald and 
there opened the first drug store in the “Colony City.” Harry remained with 
his father. 

Dr. Goodman was city physician for a number of years. 

The school facilities were very limited and primitive. That part of Tifton’s 
development was not overlooked and Dr. and Mrs. Goodman, as good pio¬ 
neers, were interested in everything that meant for Tifton’s good and took 
an active part in its civic, social and religious life. They lent their aid and 
cooperation in building a school system that would be a credit and a drawing 
card for a growing, thriving town and community. They made it a point to 
know the teachers, to make them feel welcome in their new surrroundings, 
and often entertained them in their home. Mrs. Goodman taught her daugh¬ 
ters and prepared them for college, which was a credit to her as an educator 
and teacher. The three daughters completed their education at Wesleyan 
College, Macon, Georgia. 

In the early days when Tifton was only a saw mill village, the religious 
need was not overlooked. In the early 80’s Mr. J. J. F. Goodman, a native of 
this section and a local Methodist preacher organized the Tifton Methodist 
Church. (This Mr. Goodman was not related to Dr. Goodman.) Later a very 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


407 


nice little church was built on the sight of the present First Methodist Church. 
The pioneers were glad to find a church already functioning and this build¬ 
ing served the other denominations for a number of years. 

Dr. and Mrs. Goodman, also their sons and daughters were devout mem¬ 
bers of the Methodist Church and carried in their hearts a deep, abiding 
love for the church, taking an active part in its every department of work. 

Mrs. Goodman was instrumental in the organization of the Woman’s 
Missionary Society and served as president for several years. Dr. Goodman 
was an official in the church as long as he lived. 

No finer tribute could be paid him than to say he was a friend to man and 
that those who loved him best were the children of the community. He be¬ 
lieved in Tifton’s future and with other splendid men that had a similar 
faith and vision, laid a strong and sure foundation for a town of which to¬ 
day’s citizens are justly proud. 

Dr. Goodman died January 17, 1903. He with the other pioneers can look 
down from the skies and say, “We did not build in vain.” 

CHARLES COLUMBUS GUEST 

& 

(Ida Belle Williams) 

A man with a keen sense of humor, consideration for inferiors as well as 
equals, the hospitality of the Old South, and honesty—Charles Columbus 
Guest! Even in the thirties, the years of depression, the Guest home had an 
air of the nineties, for the C. C. genial spirit could dispel the thickest gloom. 

Mr. Guest and his wife were delightful host and hostess on many occa¬ 
sions in Tifton. Guest pranks often added spice to the menus. One Novem¬ 
ber day the dining table was loaded with the usual delicacies and substan¬ 
tiate with proper vitamins. George Rastus, a servant in the home, grinned 
as he passed around luscious sweet potatoes, dripping with their natural 
candy and seemed to smack mentally his thick lips. 

When the family and guests had finished dinner, George came in to clear 
the table. Alas, his grin changed to a forlorn droop of the mouth, and his 
step to a *drag. No potatoes left! Everyone observed the dramatic disappoint¬ 
ment. Mr. Guest finally reached his hand far enough to open a drawer of 
the buffet; his eyes twinkled with humor as he pulled out the hidden treas¬ 
ures—potatoes—and presented them to Rastus, who grinned his thanks. 

Although Mr. Guest has lived longer in Tifton than anywhere else, he 
was born in Lowndes County, six miles from Valdosta, near Cherry Creek, 
April 26, 1873. When six years old, he and the rest of the family moved to 
Berrien County. He attended New River School near Vanceville, three or 
four miles from Tifton. His father, George W. Guest, was born in Mont¬ 
gomery County, which is now Wheeler. His mother was Lucretia Pope. Mr. 
G. W. Guest, postmaster at Vanceville for several years, had a turpentine 
still and a store. After leaving the turpentine business, he farmed. 

When six years old, little Charles Columbus felt his importance, as he tip¬ 
toed to hang up mail bags for the train that passed Vanceville. After a few 


408 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


years he assisted on the farm until 1890, the year of his arrival in Tifton, 
when he began clerking for Mr. Enoch Bowen, the merchant who sold every¬ 
thing from tacks to caskets. 

Swift changes followed. Guest went to Americus and traveled for a furni¬ 
ture company, then to Tampa. In 1895 he traveled for a tobacco company. 
While on this job, he received from W. O. Tift and his son, Ortie, a telegram 
offering a position in their general store. After working with the Tifts three 
years, Guest accepted a position with Loree and Buck; when the latter bought 
the entire business, he made Guest manager of the retail store. At this time 
the Oakley Boarding House, where he took his meals, was a jolly spot. Judge 
Eve and Mr. J. L. Williams were among the boarders. One of their favorite 
pastimes was holding Oakley Court to try violators of the eating laws, such as 
the number of biscuits. Mr. Eve, who had his first experience as a judge in 
this court, imposed for biscuit misdemeanors a sentence of fasting. An inter¬ 
esting point here is the fact that Mr. Guest now lives in the house which was 
once the Oakley Boarding House. 

Business activities ceased on November 8, 1899—ceased for the wedding 
bells of Guest and Minnie Maud Nicholson, of South Charleston, Ohio. Their 
three children are Laura, of Tifton, Nicholson, of Brunswick, and John, of 
Tifton. Clifford died when a baby. With his usual sense of humor, Guest fre¬ 
quently tossed this question to Mrs. Guest, “Do you remember that you are 
a pearl of great price—fifty cents?” He had bought the marriage license for 
fifty cents. Mrs. Guest would retort, “Remember you went a long way to 
spend fifty cents.” 

After his marriage, Mr. Guest was vice-president and general manager of 
the Tifton Grocery Company. While with this company he was selected as 
a member of the Advisory Board for Georgia of the Southern Wholesale 
Grocers Association, which is an organization of the wholesale grocers of 
thirteen Southern states. Later Tifton Grocery Company became the Cen¬ 
tral Grocery Company when Downing in Brunswick bought it. Mr. Guest 
traveled for this Central establishment after his experience in turpentine for 
the next few years. Then for eighteen years he was deputy commissioner for 
State Revenue Department. During this time he had the confidence and praise 
of the department and the people whom he contacted. 

During these years Mr. and Mrs. Guest lived harmoniously until her death 
in 1937. Years have come and gone; Mr. Guest now is one of the oldest 
citizens of Tifton; adverses and sorrows have had their usual places; but 
nothing has effaced the Guest geniality and courage. 

ROBERT EDWARD HALL 

Robert Edward Hall, son of William Oscar Hall and Mary Stuckey Hall, 
both of Wilkinson County, Georgia, was born November 23, 1864, in Wilkin¬ 
son County, where he grew up. He was of a large family of brothers and sis¬ 
ters: W. O. Hall, Jr., Gordon Hall, D. O., M. A., I. B.. Donnie (married 
Floyd), Annie (married Knight), Emma (married Collins). 

In April of 1893 Robert E. Hall and his friend, J. J. Golden, left Sibley, 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


409 


Georgia, where Golden was planing mill foreman and Hall a sawyer and 
came to Tifton. They took a room together at the Hotel Sadie and next 
day both of them went to work at the H. H. Tift lumber mill, Golden as 
planing-mill foreman and Hall as sawyer. Both bought farms, and the land 
adjoined. They continued to room together until Hall married, December 
29, 1895. His bride was Miss Claudia McDuffie (born Marion County, 
South Carolina, February 3, 1878) daughter of William Preston McDuffie 
and Mary Catherine Jones McDuffie. Mary Catherine’s father was a rail¬ 
road man with the S. F. and W., now the Coast Line, in the days before 
the Southern was built. Mary had gone with her family from South Carolina 
to Waycross, and after two years there had lived in Savannah for a year 
before coming to Tifton when she was about ten years old and before the 
section houses had been built at Tifton. 

When Henry Tift, Tifton’s founder, bought the lumber mill at Adel, 
Robert Hall became mill foreman of both the Tift mill at Adel and the one 
at Tifton. In the later capacity he continued until the Tifton mill closed in 
1916. 

Thereafter, Mr. Hall bought from Eddie Tift the Tift Dry Goods Store 
which for years had been conducted in the building now occupied by Wade- 
Corry Company. After operating the store for two years Hall sold to W. 
A. Darnell, and Mr. Hall then devoted his time to his farming interests. 
About this time he was chairman of the Tift County Commissioners. 

In October of 1922 when W. T. Hargrett resigned as Tifton City Man¬ 
ager in order to accept a position with a Florida short-line railroad, R. E. 
Hall was elected to succeed Mr. Hargrett as city manager, and in this 
capacity served for many years. He was followed by George Washington 
Coleman. 

In 1918 Mr. Hall bought from J. J. Golden the house known as the Will 
James home, at 215 West Sixth Street. Mr. and Mrs. Hall joyously cele¬ 
brated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, their children and grand¬ 
children being present at the happy occasion. Years rolled, and R. E. and 
Claudia looked forward to celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. 
They often spoke of it, and the time was nearly at hand, when one day R. E., 
then eighty years old, said to Claudia: “I don’t think I’ll hold out that long. 
I don’t feel sick, but I just haven’t any strength!” Only a few weeks later, 
on August 2, 1945, he died, at Tifton County Hospital. The funeral was at 
the Hall residence, and Mr. Hall’s pastor, the Reverend W. A. Kelley, pastor 
of the First Methodist Church of Tifton, conducted the services. Burial was 
in Tifton cemetery . 

Mrs. Hall still makes her home in the Hall home on Sixth Street, where a 
son and his wife and children are with her. 

To R. E. and Claudia McDuffie Hall were born the following children: R. 
E. Hall, Jr., of Atlanta; L. C. Hall, Donald Hall, Mrs. Henry Davis Collier, 
Jr., of Tifton; Mrs. Fred W. Mitchell, Columbus; John Hall, deceased, 1945. 

Part of the farm which R. E. Hall bought years ago, and the adjoining farm 
owned by his friend, J. J. Golden, became a part of Tifton’s Municipal Air¬ 
port. 


410 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


WESLEY THOMAS HARGRETT 

Wesley Thomas Hargrett was born in Worth County, Georgia, spent his 
boyhood in Brooks County, and on May first, 1883 set out to learn the rail¬ 
road business. Working on the old Savannah, Florida and Western, he started 
as a section hand drawing fifty-five cents a day. After two weeks came pro¬ 
motion. It was continuous. 

In 1867, in Liberty County, Georgia, was born to W. J. and Louisa Ed¬ 
wards Warned, a daughter, Lelia, who was baptized in 1886 by the Reverend 
J. G. Norris, the blind pastor of the Ludowici Baptist Church. At that church 
Mr. Norris on November 16, 1887, performed the marriage ceremony uniting 
W. T. Hargrett and Lelia Warned. 

The young couple lived at Alapaha, and before they had been married 
long Mr. Hargrett was made roadmaster of the division between Albany 
and Waycross of what is now the Coast Line. This position he took on 
February 22, 1888 and held for twenty-one years. 

When the Hargretts had been married but three years they came from 
Alapaha to Tifton where W. T. purchased from H. H. Tift, Tifton’s founder, 
Lot No. 1. Block 5, the first lot sold after the plat for the town of Tifton 
was drawn and lots were put on the market. The house which he built on 
that lot in 1890 and occupied for many years is still standing next to Doo¬ 
little’s filling station to which position it was moved from its original site, 
that now occupied by the Doolittle Station. It was in a grove of virgin growth 
pines, and between it and the Tift home were only three other buildings: 
the church, which stood where the post office now is; the C. W. Fulwood 
residence, which was where the Peterson home now is; and, where the other 
filling station is, across from Lankford Manor, a house occupied by the young 
widower physician, Dr. Arch McRae. Leila’s sister, Pauline, came over from 
Ludowici to visit Lelia. She and Dr. McCrea met, and later they were wed 
and Pauline moved into the house across the road from her sister. 

Mrs. Hargrett was the first treasurer of the Woman’s Missionary Society, 
organized in 1891, in February, in Bessie Tift’s parlor where Dr. C. M. 
Irwin, the Baptist supply pastor, met with the ladies and helped with the 
organization. 

After being roadmaster, Mr. Hargrett became superintendent of the Gulf 
Line Railroad between Hawkinsville and Camilla. 

Mr. Hargrett on March 2, 1891, was appointed a tax assessor of Tifton, 
the other assessors serving with him being W. O. Tift and I. W. Bowen. 
On January 2, 1893 Hargrett entered upon his duties as newly elected aider- 
man, J. C. Goodman and J. A. McCrea being elected at the same time for two 
years. W. H. Love was mayor. Thereafter Mr. Hargrett served on many 
committees and in various capacities on City Council for many years. In 
January, 1921, he became Tifton’s first City Manager which office he held 
until October, 1922, when he resigned to go to Live Oak, Florida, from which 
place he operated the Ocilla-Southern Railroad, of which he had been ap¬ 
pointed receiver the previous spring. Later the Hargretts returned to Tifton. 

After the death of John H. Powell, of Jacksonville, president of the Live 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


411 


Oak, Perry and Gulf Railroad, W. T. Hargrett was made president of that 
road. In January, 1929, the road changed hands and he became vice-president, 
which position he held until he retired about two years prior to his death. 

Mr. Hargrett attained the remarkable record of not losing a day’s salary 
in fifty-three years, and of not losing but twelve days in fifty-eight years. 

The Hargretts moved from the Love Avenue house and lived for many 
years on Ridge Avenue in Tifton, where they celebrated their golden wed¬ 
ding anniversary with a large and brilliant reception, and also lived to cele¬ 
brate happily, though more quietly, several other anniversaries, before Mrs. 
Hargrett died in 1944. Mr. Hargrett missed her greatly and did not stay on 
much longer. He died in 1945. Both are buried in Tifton cemetery. 

Children of W. T. and Lelia Warnell Hargrett are: Mrs. J. C. Rousseau, 
of Macon; Mrs. Joe Medford, of Jacksonville, Florida; Clyde W., of Atlanta; 
Wesley, of Miami; Felix, of New York City; Lester, of Washington, D. C.; 
Robert, of Tifton; Charles, of Norfolk, Virginia. 

WILLARD LUTHER HARMAN 

Willard Luther Harman was born in Meriwether County, Georgia, August 
23, 1863. He was one of eight children of Luther M. and Martha Williams 
Harman, his brothers and sisters being: James H. Harman of Odessadale; R. 
Mr. Harman, of Unadilla; D. W. Harman, of Odessadale; Mrs. Mattie Har¬ 
man Wisdom, of Chipley; Mrs. Katherine Watson, Mrs. Mollie Watson, and 
Mrs. Emma Watson, all of Odessadale. Of these, only one, D. W. Harman, 
survived W. L. Harman who died at his Tifton home, formerly the Good¬ 
man home on the southeast corner of West Sixth Street and College Ave¬ 
nue, on Friday morning at 7:45, December 28, 1934. His funeral was at the 
Tifton Methodist Church and burial was in Tifton Cemetery. 

W. L. Harman graduated with the A.B. degree from Emory College, Ox¬ 
ford, and thereafter taught school at Washington, Georgia, and at Chipley, 
Georgia, where he married Miss Irene Floyd, of Chipley, in June 1892. Of 
this union were two children both of whom died in infancy. 

In 1898 Professor Harman came from Chipley to Tifton where he headed 
the Tifton Academy. He returned to Chipley but later again came to Tifton, 
in 1907. For a time he was connected with the office of H. H. Tift and later 
engaged in farming and other business. 

On June 10, 1908 Professor Harman married a widow, Mrs. Harriet Good¬ 
man Evans, daughter of Tifton’s pioneer physician, Dr. Charles Goodman 
(q.v. this book). Of this union were three sons, Charles Goodman, Eugene, 
who died in infancy, and Allen. 

Professor Harman was a popular and highly esteemed educator and he 
was elected superintendent of Tift County Schools. He was reelected but 
his health began to fail and about 1933 he was injured in an automobile acci¬ 
dent. Later he became ill and developed pneumonia which was fatal. 

It was said that if all the school books which Professor Harman had 
bought for those who could not afford them for themselves could be placed 


412 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


in a pile they would have made a huge and fitting monument to his memory. 
The Tifton Gazette editorially paid to him high tribute. 

Of a Christian family W. L. Harman joined the Methodist Church early 
in life, and served in nearly all the official capacities of the church. For many 
years he was a steward of the Tifton Methodist Church, and he was a 
Valdosta District Steward. He was for a time superintendent of the First 
Methodist Sunday School of Tifton. He was a Mason and a Shriner. 

WILLIAM HARTRIDGE HENDRICKS 

William Hartridge Hendricks, son of Robert and Nancy Parrish Hend¬ 
ricks, was born at Bloys, Bulloch County, Georgia, August 17, 1873. The 
Hendricks family, of English descent, had come to South Carolina soon 
after the Revolution and thence one member came to Bulloch County, Geor¬ 
gia where Robert was born and became a farmer of substantial means. 

Young William Hartridge spent his early years on his father’s Bulloch 
County farm, and attended the Bulloch county schools. Even as a lad he was 
interested in biology and chemistry, and in 1894 he entered the School of 
Physicians and Surgeons, at St. Louis, from which he graduated with honors 
in 1897. 

Immediately after graduation from medical school, Dr. Hendricks began 
practicing medicine at Lenox, Georgia, whence, he came to Tifton, about 
1900; because even before moving to Tifton he had business interests here. 

On December 21, 1898, at Ty Ty, Dr. Hendricks was married to Lelia May 
Dell, daughter of Caple Glenn Dell and Margaret Thompson Dell. The mar¬ 
riage was at the home of the bride’s grandmother, Mrs. Mary Speer Thomp¬ 
son. The bride had been born near Americus, in Sumter County, May 20, 
1875. 

In Tifton Dr. Hendricks soon established a large practice and he was 

highly esteemed by a wide circle of friends. Dr. Nichols Peterson, Dr. 

Hendricks established Tifton’s first hospital. This was first housed on the 
second floor of a building which formerly stood where Brooks Drug Store 
now is. Later the hospital was moved to a house on Central Avenue next 
door to the old Dr. George Smith residence. Still later the hospital was 

moved to the old Shepherd home, sometimes called the Johns home, on 

Tifton Heights. The operating room in the Tift County Hospital is dedi¬ 
cated to Dr. Hendricks and he is, in 1946, chief of staff of Tift County Hos¬ 
pital. 

In addition to his medical profession, Dr. Hendricks had various business 
interests. He engaged in naval stores and agriculture, and he was a director 
and vice-president of the National Bank of Tifton. 

Also, Dr. Hendricks has engaged in politics and he has never been de¬ 
feated for any office for which he has run. On December 5, 1906 he was 
elected to serve on Tifton City Council and served one term. Later he 
served for one term on the Board of Education. In 1907 and 1908 he was in 
the General Assembly of the Georgia Legislature and in 1914 he was mayor 
of Tifton, following W. W. Banks. 1915 to 1917 he was in the Georgia Sen- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


413 


ate, immediately prior to leaving for army service in World War I. 

The Hendricks lived formerly on North Park Avenue in the house now the 
Sam Lassiter residence, but later purchased and moved into the Love Ave¬ 
nue house built by W. O. Tift. There Mrs. Hendricks died March 19, 1946. 
There Dr. Hendricks and his daughter, Mrs. Louise Stamps, and his pretty 
granddaughter continue to make their home. 

Mrs. Hendricks was a woman of Christian character and was possessed of 
much sweetness of personality. To her and Dr. Hendricks were born five 
children; a son, who died in infancy; a daughter, Vera, also deceased; a 
daughter, Margaret Glenn (Mrs. Thomas Nelson Ricks, of Mount Olive, 
North Carolina); a daughter, Louise (Mrs. James Allen Stamps, of Tifton); 
a daughter, named for her father, “Billie,” Willie Hartridge (Mrs. Albert 
Horton Ellis, of Rossville, Ga.). 

JOHN LEWIS HERRING 

John Lewis Herring, son of William Jasper and Rebecca Paul Herring, 
was born December 8, 1866, at Albany, Georgia, and moved with his parents 
to Isabella, in Worth County, when he was about one year old. 

At Isabella William farmed and kept a store and John Lewis attended 
school and grew up in the hard days of Reconstruction. Early he loved books 
and read all he could procure. Grown, he secured work in newspaper offices 
at Ty Ty and at Isabella, and intermittently engaged in the mercantile busi¬ 
ness with his father. 

When twenty years old, John Lewis Herring, on December 22, 1886, mar¬ 
ried Martha Susan Greene, daughter of John Burwell Greene of near Tifton. 
John took his bride to his parents’ home in Isabella, and there they began 
housekeeping. John continued in the mercantile business with his father in 
Isabella for eight years. 

About 1894 John Lewis Herring came to Tifton where Benjamin T. Allen 
had started a newspaper, The Tifton Gazette. After being with The 
Tifton Gazette for several years Herring was with Stovall on the Tampa 
Morning News for a few months, but thereafter accepted an offer of a posi¬ 
tion again on the Tifton Gazette. A few years later he purchased from Briggs 
Carson a controlling interest in the Gazette. 

In 1912 Mr. Herring while continuing to operate the Gazette established 
a connection with the Savannah Morning News. He at this time began 
writing and sending back to the Gazette his highly interesting and valuable 
“Saturday Night Sketches,” which were published in book form in 1918. 

On September 14, 1914 John Lewis established the Daily Tifton Gazette, 
the only daily paper in the state in a town the size of Tifton. This daily has 
successfully continued. 

John Herring, when young, joined the Methodist Church and he was a 
faithful member of the Tifton Methodist Church. 

Mr. Herring was untiring in his efforts to secure the formation of Tift 
County from territory carved out of portions of Worth and Berrien, and to 
have Tifton as the county seat. This was accomplished on August 17, 1905. 


414 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


In his professional field many honors came to John L. Herring. (See 
article on “Wire Grass Journalism,” this book.) 

After the Wilson election the citizens of Tifton presented John L. with a 
suit of clothes, in appreciation of his handling of election returns. He was 
deeply touched, and said that when came his time to die he wished to be 
buried in the suit. 

About the close of World War I the men of Tifton, and the women of 
the Twentieth Century Library Club, separately and unknown to each other, 
presented him with loving cups. 

Mr. Herring was secretary or president of numerous Tifton organiza¬ 
tions. He loved and, in 1922, was president of the Kiwanis Club. On Friday, 
October 5, 1923 the Kiwanis Club was holding a Ladies’ Night entertain¬ 
ment at the college. Mr. Herring, having ascertained that all arrangements 
were satisfactorily carried out, was in happy mood and was heading the 
receiving line when he was suddenly stricken with paralysis. Death followed, 
on Saturday night. 

Mr. Herring’s request about the well loved old suit was remembered and 
carried out. A hundred and fifty cars followed his body from the Methodist 
Church, where his funeral was held, to the Tifton cemetery, where he rests 
beneath a lone pine tree. 

In the same issue of the Tifton Daily Gazette which carried its founder’s 
obituary was printed on the editorial page: “The Boys Will Carry On.” They 
have carried on, and well; and ably and valiantly have marched with them 
dear Miss Leola Greene, and Peggy Herring Coleman, and of late, Mrs. Bob 
Herring. 

The worker, in God’s time, finds rest; but the good work goes on. 

At the southwest entrance of beautiful Fulwood Park, Tifton, stands a 
granite memorial erected in token of the love and esteem in which John L. 
Herring was held by his fellow citizens. 

CHARLTON BEACHAM HOLMES 

Charlton Beacham Holmes, son of James Russell Holmes and Allie Hester 
Holmes, of the Dublin community, was born about five miles from Dublin, 
Georgia, on May 24, 1878. He received his early education in the schools near 
Dublin and later attended the Valdosta High School while living in Valdosta 
with his brother, J. F. Holmes. 

Upon arrival in Tifton in 1900 the youthful C. B. Holmes at once began 
a drink bottling business. At first he bottled soda water, and later, when 
Coca-Cola was on the market, he began bottling Coca-Cola. In this business 
he continued until his death in Tifton in April. 1947. 

On June 17, 1903, Charlton Beacham Holmes married Cora Dickert, daugh¬ 
ter of Charles Paschal Dickert and Lucy Suber Dickert, then of Tifton, but 
previously of Newberry, South Carolina. Miss Dickert had come to Tifton 
from Dawson, in 1901. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were born five children. 

During World War II C. B. Holmes donated to the Red Cross use of an 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


415 


upper room in the Coca-Cola building and this was used as a Red Cross 
Sewing Room during the war period. 

BAILUS CHAMPION HUTCHINSON 

Bailus Champion Hutchinson, born September 12, 1846, in Gwinnett 
County, Georgia, near Stone Mountain, was son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry G. 
Hutchinson, with whom he, when a lad of twelve years, came down an old 
trail from Atlanta, following the route now known as the National Highway, 
and, in 1848, settled in a place in the pine forest with no near neighbors, in 
the River Bend section about four miles west of what is now Adel. 

When not yet twenty Bailus volunteered for service in the Confederate 
Army, in April, 186* at Nashville. He served in the army for a year and five 
days, and was under General Johnston at Greensboro, North Carolina at the 
close of the war. He drew one dollar and twenty-five cents and walked from 
North Carolina to Val d’ Osta, now called Valdosta. 

On June 28, 1868 Bailus C. Hutchinson married seventeen-year-old Nancy 
Glenny McKinney (born November 5, 1851, in Berrien County), daughter of 
Isom McKinney. Bailus and Nancy lived for seven years in the River Bend 
section of Berrien County and they then moved to that part of Irwin County 
which is now Tift County to a place four miles northwest of Tifton where 
they continued to make their home throughout the lifetime of Bailus who 
died however, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Will Sutton, Monday, 
September 22, 1930, two weeks after suffering a stroke of paralysis. 

For forty years Bailus Hutchinson had been a member of Zion Hope 
Church and there his funeral was held September 23, 1930. Burial was in 
Zion Hope cemetery. Nancy died in 1932. 

To Bailus C. and Nancy McKinney Hutchinson were born seven children, 
all of whom survived both parents. They were: A. A., Lenora (Mrs. J. P. 
Fletcher), John Henry, William B., Arthur, James (May 12, 1878-June 13, 
1946), P. L., Mrs. Will Sutton, all of whom, except Mrs. Fletcher, lived in 
Tift County at the time of their father’s death. Mrs. Fletcher lived then in 
Miami, but later moved to Mystic, Georgia. 

John Henry Hutchinson was Tift County’s first tax collector and in that 
capacity served for many years. 

Arthur James was called “Uncle Hutch” and was loved and revered be¬ 
cause of his honest and upright character and his cheerful disposition. “Uncle 
Hutch” was a farmer and later for a number of years operated a small store 
where the Corner Grocery now is. The Masons were in charge of graveside 
rites in Zion Hope cemetery where he was buried following services in Zion 
Hope Church. 


JOHN HENRY HUTCHINSON 
First Tift County Tax Collector 

Tift County’s first tax collector was John Henry Hutchinson. He an¬ 
nounced as a candidate for office on September 8, 1905, soon after the new 


416 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


county was created by act of Legislature, August 16, 1905. 

J. H. Hutchinson was a charter member of the Country Club at Gun Lake. 
Also, he was prominent in the activities of the Tift County Singing Conven¬ 
tion, organized about 1913. Often he would lead the singing. Mr. Hutchin¬ 
son still makes his home in Tift County, not far from Tifton, and, in this 
1947, comes frequently to Tifton on business, or to see his friends. He is a 
Mason, a member of the Tifton lodge, and the only living officer of the 
original Tift County group. 


J. L. JAY, JR. 

J. L. Jay was a contractor here in the early days of the twentieth century. 

He and his son, J. L., Jr., and another son went first to Fitzgerald from 
Arlington, and then the two J. L.’s came from Fitzgerald to Tifton. J. L., Sr., 
did not remain here long. 

J. L. Jay, Jr., and his wife, who was an excellent pianist, moved to Tifton 
and bought and lived in the house at 413 North Park Avenue, now occupied 
by Miss Maude Bryant. The Jays had two small sons, Wibbie and Wister. 

J. L. Jay, Jr., was cashier of the Tifton and Northeastern Railroad until 
the road was sold, and thereafter he operated Jay’s Cotton Warehouse. Also 
he conducted a mercantile business and his ads in the Gazette of May, 1904 
pictured a large Blue Jay, and advertised J. L. Jay believes in oats and hay, 
and sells piano, the best, lightest, and simplest harvesting machine made— 
especially adapted for use of the Southern farmer. He also was interested in 
wool, and the wool growers of the community brought their wool to his 
warehouse, where buyers from Savannah and as far away as Philadelphia 
came to bid for the wool in July of 1904. 

Mrs. Jay composed “The Tifton March,” dedicated to H. H. Tift, and 
played it at the Tifton fair. It occasioned a pleasureable and gratifying stir 
in the community. 

Mrs. Badger Murrow, who lived in the large house across the street from 
the Jays, was organist at the Tifton First Baptist Church, but if she had to 
be absent, Mrs. Jay would play. Mr. Jay sang in the Baptist choir. Also, he 
was active in the work of the schurch and especially of the Sunday School. 
In those days the Sunday School picnics were annual affairs participated in 
by Sunday Schools of all denominations, and looked forward to eagerly as 
one of the joyous occasions of the year. In 1906 the picnic was held at Red 
Bluff on the Ocmulgee. “The picnic crowd went as scheduled. The weather 
was ideal. There was lemonade and baskets aplenty. The water was so clear 
fish could be seen fifteen feet below the surface but would not be caught.” 
A special train carried the crowd from Tifton at eight in the morning and 
brought them back at seven in the evening. The Tifton Band, under F. C. 
Dynes furnished music. The public was warned by an announcement in the 
Gazette, by R'. H. Kelley, Chairman General Committee: “I wish to state 
that no whiskey, beer, or disorderly persons are wanted. We want a sober 
crowd and a good day.” The various committees in charge were composed of 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


417 


many of the town’s most prominent citizens, and on the Basket Committee, 
“to receive and take charge of the baskets at train, en route, and at grounds” 
were J. H. Hillhouse, Briggs Carson, Harry Kent, J. L. Jay, Jr. 

The Jays moved from Tifton to Arlington where one of the Jays in¬ 
herited a hotel. 


KATHERINE TIFT JONES 

Katherine Stark Tift, daughter of William Orville Tift and Eliza Cath¬ 
erine Mallory Tift, was reared in Tifton, and attended the Lucy Cobb 
Institute, Athens. She married Frederick H. Jones and moved to Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania. Of this union are three children, F. H., Jr., Elizabeth Mallory 
Jones Traska, and Sarah Jones Gridley. 

As a reader Mrs. Jones has won renown, and she also is well known as 
a radio speaker. She was for many years with the National Broadcasting Com¬ 
pany, and with the Mutual Network. In 1933 she was sent to Europe by R. 
H. Macy and Company to make the first Trans-Atlantic broadcast ever made 
by a commercial house from London, Paris and Berlin. She has given re¬ 
citals in London, Paris, and across the continent of America. 

Several years ago Mrs. Jones moved back to Tifton where she lives next 
door to her childhood home. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON JULIAN 

George Washington Julian, born in Forsyth County, Georgia, near Cum¬ 
mings, December 10, 1857, graduated from the Southern Medical College at 
Atlanta in 1887, practiced first at Pearson, Georgia, where he remained ten 
years, and, in 1897, came to Tifton where he practiced medicine until his 
death. 

Dr. Julian, in addition to being a physician, was a member of the firm of 
Julian, Love and Buck, a wholesale grocery and feed business, of Tifton. 
His partners in this were E. A. Buck and Tifton’s first mayor, W. H. Love, 
whose wife was a relative of Dr. Julian’s wife, both of them having been 
Kirklands before marriage. 

Dr. Julian married a widow, Mrs. Laura E. Kirkland Hargraves, and of 
this union were three children, Stella, Lelia, and George W., Jr. 

Stella married Clinton Shingler, of Ashburn, of that Shingler family which 
with John S. Betts, were the founders of Ashburn. Stella’s daughter, Betty, 
married Herman, only son of Eugene Talmadge, Governor of Georgia. 

Lelia Julian married Allen Garden of Fitzgerald. George Julian, Jr., mar¬ 
ried and lives in Tifton at the Julian home at the northwest corner of 
Central Avenue at Second Street. This home was bought by Dr. Julian 
from Captain John A. Phillips who built it and lived in it after he 
moved from the Hotel Sadie which he built and owned. At this home Dr. 
Julian lived until his death there on Tuesday morning, May 29, 1928, at 
10:30 o’clock. The funeral, from the home, was conducted by Dr. W. L. 
Pickard, who had been Dr. Julian’s friend for more than thirty years; the 


418 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Reverend George C. Gibson, who was pastor of the Tifton First Baptist 
Church, of which Dr. Julian was a member; and the Reverend J. H. House, 
pastor of the Tifton Methodist Church. Burial was in Tifton cemetery. 
Numerous members of the Shingler and Kirkland families were present. Dr. 
Julian had no living relatives other than his immediate family. 

Mrs. Julian, who was born February 1, 1864, died November 13, 1934. She 
is buried in the Tifton cemetery. 

Mrs. Julian had, by her first marriage, a son, Colonel L. A. Hargraves, of 
Pearson. 


THE KENT FAMILY 

The Kent family moved into this section of Georgia now known as Tift 
County in 1894, coming from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Judge Harry Kent, 
the head of the family, was born in Staffordshire, England, July 27, 1856. In 
early manhood he married Miss Mary Morris of the same city and remained 
there, following the occupation of coal mining, until 1881 when they came 
to America. In 1893 he became interested in some literature advertising this 
section. In 1894 Mr. and Mrs. Kent and seven children, William, Heber, 
Joseph, Morris, Frances, Effie and Milton, moved to Tifton where Mr. Kent 
engaged in fruit farming. Their eighth child, Charles Aimer, was born in 
Tifton. 

In 1895 Mr. Kent and son, Joseph Kent, opened a cotton and fertilizer 
warehouse where the Owens Grocery Company now stands. In 1897 they 
bought the J. M. Paulk Furniture Store and established a furniture business 
under the name of H. Kent and Son. This business now under the name of 
Kent’s Furniture and Music Store, lays claim to being the oldest retail busi¬ 
ness in Tifton, being in 1946 forty-nine years old. 

In 1921 the business was bought by Milton U. Kent and Charles Aimer 
Kent, the two younger sons. It is operated today by Milton U. Kent and 
Mrs. C. A. Kent, widow of the late C. A. Kent who died October 11, 1944. 
In future years Charles A. Kent, Jr., and Thomas Milton Kent intend to 
carry on the business as successfully as their forefathers in continuing 
growth. 

During Mr. Kent’s residence here he was active in civic and business 
affairs until his death on May 25th, 1927. He was interested in a number of 
business enterprises and under his direction in the early days of Tifton, with 
the able assistance of his oldest son, Will, the Kents became famous through¬ 
out this section as draymen. Kent’s dray and their fine horses were con¬ 
spicuous on the streets of Tifton in the city’s early days. Later they operated 
the first long distance truck hauling line in the state. Mr. Kent was for many 
years Justice of the Peace and ex-officio Justice of the Peace for this dis¬ 
trict, from which office he obtained the title of Judge. He took an active 
interest in civic, religious, and political affairs. He became a booster for 
Tifton and this section soon after moving here, and was prominently identi¬ 
fied with every forward movement of the city and section. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


419 


Joining the Methodist Church during their youth in England, Mr. and 
Mrs. Kent remained staunch, faithful and true members until death. They 
were moving spirits in erection of the present Methodist Church building in 
Tifton, giving liberally of their time and means. Mr. Kent served as an 
official, either steward or trustee, for many years. The Harry Kent Bible 
Class was so called in his memory. 

Mr. Kent, as head of the Kent family in this section, made the name Kent 
stand for something that his boys and his boys’ boys will have to rise early 
and work late to live up to. Because of the characteristics for which he was 
noted, the name of Kent became a household word in this section which 
stands for energy, economy and success. 

Joseph Kent, the third son is prominently known throughout the state in 
business circles, being an outstanding business man. He assisted in organiz¬ 
ing The Farmers Bank of Tifton and served as its first president. As direc¬ 
tor of the War Bond sales during World War II he carried the County far 
over the top in all drives. He is prominently known for his civic and patri¬ 
otic spirit. 

Judge Kent’s children still living in Tifton are William, Heber, Joseph 
and Milton. 


BELLE WILLINGHAM LAWRENCE 

Belle’s story is brief; and only those who knew her can conceive of her 
sweetness, her radiance, her charm. Belle captivated all—young, middle-aged, 
and old, but especially the children—and the men. It is said that she had 
over a hundred offers of marriage. 

Belle Willingham, daughter of Thomas Henry Willingham and Cecilia 
Baynard Willingham, was born at the Yancey Place, near Albany, July 18, 
1871. She entered Monroe Female College, Forsyth, Georgia, and there she 
was first honor graduate, and was chosen valedictorian; but on the day be¬ 
fore graduation she went driving, the horses ran away, she was thrown from 
the vehicle, her foot caught in the reins, and she was dragged. She was 
seriously injured internally so that she was never robust again though her 
beauty was unimpaired. 

After graduation Belle, whose father had died, became a member of the 
H. H. Tift household in Tifton, Belle being a younger sister of Bessie, Mrs. 
H. H. Tift. Belle was active in the social life of the town’s early days. She 
was a leader among the young people of the First Baptist Church, and, for a 
time, she taught elocution; for brown-eyed, music-voiced Belle was a gifted 
elocutionist. She and her pupils would stage delightful programs in Tifton’s 
opera hall, a large hall over what is now Corry’s store but then was the 
Tift Dry Goods Store. 

Belle visited widely—in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Virginia, 
and in many places in Georgia. Wherever she went she was immediately a 
favorite; and her wardrobe was fit for a princess. Many of her most beauti¬ 
ful gowns were not those New York-bought, but were the ones skilfully 


420 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


fashioned by Mrs. Annie Bennett’s deft fingers. 

On July 17, 1904, Belle Willingham married William Lawrence, a gifted 
violinist of New York City, the ceremony being performed in Stonington, Con¬ 
necticut. After a honeymoon spent in a fashionable New York hotel, the 
Lawrences came to Tifton where they made their home at 606 Love Avenue, 
which was freshly painted inside and out, and was beautifully furnished. 
The matter of furnishing the house and moving in occasioned much pleasur¬ 
able excitement, not only to Belle and Will, but also to all of Belle’s numer¬ 
ous Tifton relatives. 

To William and Belle Lawrence were born two children, Cecilia, and 
William Lawrence, Jr. Belle loved them dearly, but her health was utterly 
broken and shortly after little Will’s birth, Belle died of cancer on April 5, 
1912, at the Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta. Burial was on the Pickard lot, Al¬ 
bany, Georgia. 

Belle’s young children were reared by her sister, Bessie Tift. Will Lawrence 
lived many years. He died in Orlando, Florida, where he is buried. 

WILLARD HERSCHEL LOVE 

Love Avenue, Tifton, was named for Tifton’s first mayor, Willard Herschel 
Love. Born October 23, 1856, at Eden, Effingham County, Georgia, near 
Savannah, he was son of Dr. Love whose forebears had come from England 
to North Carolina. Dr. Love spent his latter years in Folkston and is buried 
at Fort Valley. 

Willard as a youth went to Kirkland, Georgia, where he was a telegrapher. 
There he met pretty, dainty, blond Absey Jane Kirkland, daughter of Mathew 
Henry Kirkland and Mary Jane Bailey Kirkland, and of the Kirkland family 
for which the town was named. The robust young giant with the bluest of 
eyes and the fragile, blue-eyed Absey fell very much in love. On December 
5, 1878 they were wed at the Kirkland home of Absey’s father. 

The youthful Loves made their home in Kirkland and there were born 
to them three children, Henry, named for his grandfather Kirkland; Claude, 
and Mary. 

In 1887 the Loves moved to Tifton. Mr. Love owned two brick buildings 
on Central Avenue Extension, now Railroad Street, between Third and Fifth 
Streets. While their beautiful, large dwelling on Love Avenue, at the north¬ 
west corner of Second Street was being completed, the Love family occu¬ 
pied quarters over the Love’s grain and feed store. When the new home was 
finished, they moved in. It was a handsome house and one of the first large 
homes built on Love Avenue. Mr. Love later sold it and it became the Re¬ 
gent Hotel. 

After Tifton was incorporated, December 29, 1890, W. H. Love became 
the town’s first mayor. The first Council meeting was held January 9, 1891, 
and Mr. Love continued in office from then until March 6, 1893 (at which 
time his resignation was accepted. He was followed by Columbus Wesley 
Fulwood who took office May 1, 1893). 

Mrs. Love was a near kinswoman of Dr. George Julian’s wife, both of 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


421 


them being Kirklands. Dr. Julian, W. H. Love and E. A. Buck formed in 
Tifton a business company known as Julian, Love and Buck, a wholesale 
grocery and feed firm. Later Julian was not connected with the firm but 
it continued as Love and Buck, which, in 1895, opened in connection with 
the business a private banking house, Tifton’s first bank. Julian, Love and 
Buck was the firm which now is the Downing Company. 

After selling the large Love Avenue home, Mr. Love built for his family 
a pleasant residence on the Heights where they continued to live until his 
death, which occurred in Waycross, where he had gone on business for the 
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, with which he was at that time connected as 
claim agent. He died in May, 1904. Burial was in Fort Valley. 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Love were members of the Tifton Methodist Church. 
Mrs. Love later joined the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and after this be¬ 
came deeply devout. A kindly woman, sweet tempered and cheerful, dainty 
and pretty, Absey was skilled in the household arts of cookery and sewing. 

Soon after Mayor Love’s death, Absey moved from Tifton to Waycross 
to be with her son, Henry (who there had a position with the A. C. L.). 
Later she moved to Douglas, Georgia, where she died of pneumonia, Decem¬ 
ber 26, 1929. She was survived by all three of her children. 

Henry Love married, March 23, 1913, Lucile Ponder, born in Wadley, Jef¬ 
ferson County, Georgia, May 19, 1892. Issue: Ruth (Mrs. James A. Duke), 
Willard Henry, Eva (Mrs. W. R. Brown), Arthur, Olin. 

Claude Love, in 1912, married Alice Alexander, of Nashville, Georgia. 
Issue: Claude, Jr., and Morris. 

Mary Love married Thomas Tucker (died 1918) of Ocilla. No issue. She 
lives at Valdosta. 


JOHN THOMAS MATHIS 

John Thomas Mathis, son of John Sidney Mathis and Matilda Raymond 
Mathis, was born December 16, 1875, in Moultrie, Georgia, where he spent 
his early life. Thence he moved to Smithville and thence to Sumner. 

When a young man Mathis came to Tifton where, in 1901, he conducted a 
business for the firm of Carter and Dorough, dealers in buggies and fine 
musical instruments, organs and pianos. Mr. Mathis loved music and took 
more pleasure in the musical instruments than in the vehicles. However, in 
1904, he became manager of the Henderson-Cranford Buggy Company which 
opened a repository in the Carter and Dorough warehouse. 

J. T. Mathis, in July of 1904, in company with E. E. Youmans and S. A. 
Youmans, both of Tifton, attended the St. Louis Exposition. Mathis married 
Sarah Lee Youmans, daughter of E. E., and sister of S. A. Youmans. 

In 1904, after the W. W. Timmons residence burned, Mr. Timmons cut 
up his 100 by 200 foot lot into eight lots which sold for a total of $10,000.00. 
Mathis bought one of them. 

That same year Mathis became interested in city politics and on Decem¬ 
ber 17, was elected to serve on the Tifton City council, beginning his term 
of office on January 2, 1905, when W. W. Timmons was mayor. In 1905 he 


422 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


was on the standing committees on Books and Accounts, and on Finance, H. 
H. Tift and E. P. Bowen being the other members of the latter committee. 
Mathis was mayor pro tern, during 1905 and 1906. Also, Mathis was inter¬ 
ested in fraternal orders. During the third week in May, 1905, he represented 
the Tifton Lodge of the Knights of Pythias at the State Grand Lodge meet- 
iny in Macon, and the following week he was representative of Tifton Lodge 
No. 122, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at the State Grand Lodge which 
met in Savannah. 

Mr. Mathis was chairman of the building committee for the new edifice 
which the Tifton First Baptist Church erected on Love Avenue at Fourth 
Street. 

In September, 1906, J. T. Mathis, W. T. Hargrett and Leon A. Hargreaves 
were appointed a committee to report to City Council respecting a plan for 
numbering houses and erecting street signs preparatory to establishment of 
free mail delivery in Tifton. As mayor pro tern, he presided over the meet¬ 
ing, September 21, at which this report was adopted. George Campbell was 
granted the permit to do the house numbering. In 1906 J. T. Mathis, J. J. 
Golden and S. G. Slack composed the Tifton City Council’s standing com¬ 
mittee on accounts. 

In 1907 John Mathis moved from Tifton to Valdosta where he and his 
brother-in-law, S. A. Youmans, opened their own musical instrument 
house. Later Mathis bought out Youmans, who returned to Tifton, and 
Mathis continued to conduct the firm, Mathis and Youmans, of which he 
was president, until his death. 

After his death, in 1943, Mr. Mathis’s widow, Sarah Lee Youmans Mathis, 
gave, in his memory, his books to the Valdosta Carnegie Library; and to 
the Valdosta First Baptist Church she presented Cathedral and organ chimes 
in memory of him who all his life loved music. 

John A. and Sarah Lee Youmans Mathis had two daughters, Edith (Mrs. 
J. R. Wiggins) and Neva Ella (Mrs. H. Y. Tillman, Jr.), both of Valdosta. 
Edith plays the piano. Neva won first place in a four-state violin contest. 

DR. JOHN ARCH McCREA 1849-1926—Contributed 

On New Year’s morning 1881 Little River was swollen and ice crackled 
along its banks. Two young men swam their horses through the torrent to 
receive Berrien County’s welcome of morning sunlight on nature’s display of 
icicles in a wild, rugged forest. They were John Arch McCrea and his 
brother Andrew Jackson McCrea. This same day they reached Brookfield 
where they rented a room at the home of the elder Bowens, paying $18.00 
per month. They had spent the night of New Year’s Eve in the “shed” room 
of the Gibbs family, about three miles east of Ty Ty, traveling all the way 
from Sumter County, their former home, on horseback, to settle down and 
begin a new life in Brookfield, Berrien County. 

John Arch McCrea was born at Plains, Georgia, near Americus in 1849 
and came from a line of distinguished Scottish forebears, some of whom 
sailing from Edinburgh, landed at Wilmington, North Carolina, between 
1763 and 1775, while others settled in Ontario, Canada. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


423 


As one with a vision this young John McCrea, originally spelled “Mac- 
Crea” by his Scottish ancestors, worked alternately among the pioneer folk 
and attended the Atlanta Medical College (now Emory University) until in 
1885 he received a degree of Doctor of Medicine. Fittingly its salutation read, 
“To the Friends and Maintainers of the Arts, Literature and the Sciences be 
it therefore known that—Later he was made a member of the Georgia 
Eclectic Medical College of Physicians and Surgeons. 

Dr. McCrea’s first patient lay in the deep woods. A turpentiner’s axe had 
bounced from a tree trunk and chipped out a section of the skull. The young 
doctor adroitly shaved the hair from the fragment, cleansed the wound, re¬ 
placed the dislocated piece, and sewed the wound neatly. The patient re¬ 
covered to bear witness to the new doctor’s skill. 

In 1887 Dr. McCrea married Miss Katherine Rhodes, eldest daughter of 
Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Rhodes of Brookfield, prominent pioneers of that sec¬ 
tion, and to them was born a daughter. The lovely young mother lived for 
only a short while and was buried in the old family cemetery, Bethesda, be¬ 
tween Tifton and Brookfield. 

After leaving Brookfield. Dr. McCrea moved up to the promising saw mill 
community of Tifton. The Theory of Lister (antisepsis) startled the medi¬ 
cal world about this time, and though many doctors refused to accept it, Dr. 
McCrea eagerly accepted and championed it with amazing results. 

Life was tough for this pioneer physician. No bridges spanned the streams, 
few roads existed, and much of his travel was through trackless forest and 
wild streams. His medicine and surgical instruments were carried in saddle 
bags. By night, by day, he moved among the hardy folk where, amidst death, 
there was life. 

In March 1892 he married Miss Pauline Warned, daughter of Jordan 
Warned (of J. E. B. Stuart’s Cavalry) and Louisa Edwards Warnerr, of 
Ludowici in Liberty County. To them were born two daughters and five sons. 
The second daughter Pearl died in infancy. When he first came to Tifton, 
Dr. McCrea lived over a store about where Brooks’s Drug Store is now 
located, but the family home built later was on the corner of Love Avenue 
and 4th Street. It was the first ceiled residence in Tifton and was looked 
upon at that time as the “showplace” of the little community. 

From saddle bags to a red wheeled buggy drawn by a beautiful white 
Arabian horse, Dr. McCrea progressed as Tifton grew in size and impor¬ 
tance. The countryside knew to hail the physician when they saw him 
approaching. 

The doctor became well known in the field of sports, for this was his 
favorite diversion. He was one of the best quail shots in the county and 
possessed one of the finest collections of antlers. He established and organ¬ 
ized the Ferry Lake Fishing Club, becoming its first president. He was the 
first president of the Homasassa Fishing Club which annually visited the 
club in Florida by special train. On one such trip some members wired 
ahead that the president was coming, whereupon he was forced to speak 
from the rear platform of the train to the good-natured crowd. Although he 


424 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


was a man of strong character and quiet manner he would at times display 
quite a sense of humor when talking to his friends of his hunting and fishing 
experiences along the Alapaha River. 

As the buggy replaced the saddle bags, so the automobile replaced the 
horse and the doctor advanced with the march of progress, inspiring many 
young men in their quest for knowledge. Dr. McCrea was a member and 
regular attendant of the Tifton Methodist Church, and he was a Mason in 
good standing. 

While working beyond the strength and endurance of his age to meet the 
influenza epidemic of the first World War, he was himself mortally stricken. 
The news of his death March 24, 1926 brought sorrow to hundreds of homes 
of the older residents throughout this section. After forty-five years of serv¬ 
ice to his community as its beloved first physician his hands were stilled. 
Dr. McCrea of Tifton was buried at Oak Ride Cemetery on the beautiful hill 
overlooking the town. The doctors and Masons of the city formed an honorary 
escort to the grave. 

On the battlefield of Flanders in 1918 another Dr. John A. McCrea wrote, 
“. . . To you, from failing hands we throw the torch. Be yours to hold it 
high. If you break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, ...” 

We quote in part from the following tribute to him which appeared in the 
Tifton Gazette of March 25, 1926: “He was in truth a family physician of 
the old school; and he was ever at the call of those in pain or suffering, never 
thinking if the bill would be paid, but ever willing to place his skill and 
knowledge at the command of those who required his services. Tifton loses 
not only its oldest resident and first physician, but one of its most highly 
esteemed, loved, and respected citizens in the death of Dr. McCrea.” 

At the Tift County Hospital there is a room dedicated to Dr. McCrea’s 
memory which contains several valuable instruments presented to the hos¬ 
pital by members of the doctor’s family. 

Mrs. McCrea, at the age of 77 resides at her home on Love Avenue. She 
is a woman of keen intellect and great force of character. 

Dr. McCrea lost not a patient during the influenza epidemic of 1918-19. 

In answer to an inquiry as to his success in this field of medicine he re¬ 
plied that he treated his patients as though they had malaria, giving them 
quinine, being at the same time extremely careful that they had no relapses. 

This treatment appears to have been further justified in later years by the 
Journal of Infectious Diseases of the University of Chicago Press in their 
article October 1946 “Effect of Quinine on Influenza Virus Infections in 
Mice.” 

Children 

I. Deborah Greene: Born December 8th, 1888. Married Robert Constantine 
Balfour, Jr., Thomasville, Georgia. Attended Tifton Public Schools. Graduated 
Brenau College. Teacher of piano and organ at Brenau. Regent of Daughters 
of American Revolution Willoughby Barton D.A.R., ancestor; State Chair¬ 
man Division of Music, Women’s Federated Clubs of Georgia; Past president 
of Thomasville Garden Club, choir director and organist in Thomasville. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


425 


Constance Elizabeth Balfour: Born January 29th, 1919. Graduated Thomas- 
ville High School; attended Mary Baldwin, Staunton, Virginia; scholarship 
Brenau College; graduate of University of Georgia and Draughn’s Business 
School. Married Bolling Jones III, Atlanta; Lieutenant U. S. Army Air 
Force. Constance Balfour Jones born July 26th, 1945. 

Robert Charles Balfour III: Born September 9th, 1927. Attended Thomas- 
ville Public Schools; graduated Marion Institute, Marion, Alabama; Mid¬ 
shipman U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. 

II. Mary Louise: Born December 12th, 1893. Married Wyatt Rainey Pierce, 
Culloden, Georgia. Educated Tifton Public Schools and University of Georgia. 

James McCrea Pierce: Born May 13th, 1920. Educated Palmetto, Florida 
Public Schools; Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College, Tifton. Enlisted 
U. S. Army prior to World War II. Assigned to duty with famous “Hell on 
Wheels” Second Armored Division. Engaged in active combat in Africa, 
Sicily and Italy. 

Jackson Edwards Pierce: Born December 20th, 1921. Graduate of Palmetto, 
Florida Public Schools and Middle Georgia College. Flight Officer U. S. 
Army Transport Command. Pilot of C-46 Transport in China, Burma, India 
theatre of World War II. 

III. Woodbury Warnell: Born April 24th, 1897. Married Colleen Coe, Ma¬ 
con, Georgia. Educated Tifton Public Schools and Georgia Tech. Lieutenant 
U. S. Army World War I. Engineering Department of Southern Bell Tele¬ 
phone, Atlanta. 

Colleen Virginia McCrea: Born July 16th, 1921. Graduate of Atlanta Public 
Schools. Married Leon Frederick Parr of Washington State. 

IV. Joubert Stein: Born March 2nd, 1900. Married Etta Fitzpatrick, Cullo¬ 
den, Georgia. Educated Tifton Public Schools. Served U. S. Navy on U. S. S. 
Florida during World War I. Based in Scottish waters on the Firth of Forth. 

Joubert S. McCrea, Jr.: Born June 21st, 1924. Married Delle Kinsey Love, 
Charleston, S. C. Graduate of Jacksonville, Florida High School. Lieutenant 
U. S. Army Air Corps; stationed in Philippines as Pilot of B-24 Liberator. 

Henry Fitzpatrick McCrea: Born September 9th, 1926. Graduated Jackson¬ 
ville, Florida High School. U. S. Navy in World War II. Attended University 
of Georgia after war. 

Mary Louisa McCrea: Born March 29th, 1932. Attending Jacksonville, Flor¬ 
ida Public Schools. 

V. Thomas Russell: Born July 21st, 1901. Married Lennie Brown, Rich- 
lands, North Carolina. Educated Tifton Public Schools, Georgia Tech and 
North Carolina State University. (B.S. Chemistry), Senior Research Analyst 
Weyth Institute of Applied Biochemistry, Philadelphia. 

VI. Henry Banks: Born February 7th, 1905. Married Pauline Kerrick Dins- 
more, Tifton, Georgia. Graduated Tifton High School. Office manager. Bal¬ 
four lumber interests. 

Joan McCrea: Born October 16th, 1929. Graduate of Thomasville High 
School. Enrolled Wesleyan College. 


426 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


VII. Everette Edwards: Born June 30th, 1907. Attended Tifton Public 
Schools and Georgia Military Academy, College Park, Ga. 

PERRYMAN MOORE 

Perryman Moore, born December 15, 1864, in Valdosta, Georgia, was son 
of John Moore (born in Ireland), of Moore’s District, North Carolina, and 
Barbara Roberts Moore (born in Coffee County, Georgia). Perryman came 
from Valdosta to Tifton in Tifton’s early days. He married Susie Tillman 
(q.v.) May 11, 1888, at Quitman. 

Mr. Moore was a planter, lumberman and merchant. He also owned a 
livery stable and a hotel in Tifton during the town’s early days. By real 
estate purchases which increased in value he attained considerable wealth. 
He died at Piedmont Sanitarium, Atlanta, December 2, 1918, and is buried at 
Tifton. Surviving are his widow, former Senator and Regent Susie Tillman 
Moore, and one daughter, Perry Lee (born July 22, 1907); married, first 
Charles J. Webb; second, Briggs Carson, Jr. 

SENATOR AND REGENT SUSIE TILLMAN MOORE 

Susie Tillman, born at beautiful Cherry Lake, a five-thousand-acre planta¬ 
tion in Madison County, Florida, was daughter of Judge Joseph Tillman 
(born in 1823, Edgefield, South Carolina) and Susan Lane Tillman (born 
Lowndes County, Georgia) of Valdosta. Susie spent her childhood at Cherry 
Lake where she received instruction under tutors. She attended Mary Bald¬ 
win, at Staunton, Virginia, and afterward studied piano under de Graffin, 
New York City. May 11, at the home of her parents in Quitman where they 
were then living, she married Perryman Moore (q.v.). 

Mrs. Moore took an active interest in her husband’s business and thus de¬ 
veloped and displayed business acumen. However, she took no part in 
politics until the Joe Brown-Hoke Smith campaign. At that time Mr. Moore 
and H. H. Tift, Tifton’s founder, were organizing Joe Brown clubs through¬ 
out the District. Mrs. Moore favored Smith. She had been appointed by the 
United Daughters of the Confederacy, of which she was a charter member 
and at that time president, to select and invite here a speaker. She invited 
Hoke Smith, and instructed the man who blew the mill whistle to blow the 
whistle repeatedly and long when he heard the train blow at the crossing, 
because on the train would be the next governor of Georgia. The whistle 
blower did as requested and soon all Tifton knew that Hoke Smith was in 
town. Mr. Tift showed him courtesy, but Mr. Moore ignored him. Smith 
won the governorship. Thus began Susie T.’s colorful venture in politics. 
However, it was not until 1932 that Mrs. Moore became active in the state 
Democratic party and was recognized as a leader. In 1933 she was appointed 
a member of the State Democratic Committee and that year she became 
state Senator, the first woman state senator elected by popular vote. Later, 
while Senator, Mrs. Moore served as vice-chairman of the Democratic Execu¬ 
tive Committee. She was a member of the State Democratic Executive Com- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


427 


mittee under three governors: Clifford Walker, Lemartine Griffin Hardman, 
and Eugene Talmadge. 

In the Senate, Mrs. Moore sponsored numerous measures of benefit to 
Georgia, and she is credited with breaking the deadlock which tied up both 
branches of the legislature in 1933. In referring to this Governor Talmadge 
said: “She stuck to her guns; and she’ll stick to her guns in the National 
Convention.” Soon after this Mrs. Moore was elected Democratic National 
Committeewoman from Georgia. 

Mrs. Moore served during three presidential campaigns as finance chair¬ 
man of the Second Congressional District. 

When Mrs. Moore was first elected to the Georgia Senate, the Abraham- 
Baldwin Agricultural College was among those scheduled to be closed. Mrs. 
Moore fought valiantly to keep it open. Others closed, but Abraham-Baldwin 
remained open. 

Other projects secured by Mrs. Moore include: stumping of the land 
north of the college. This, done by the C. C. Camps, was worth between 
five and ten thousand dollars to the Experiment Station, declared Silas 
Starr, station director at that time. Mrs. Moore filed and secured passage 
of a bill whereby it became law that the state of Georgia could pave state 
property free. The first strip of paving paved under this law was that lead¬ 
ing from Tifton to the Abraham-Baldwin Agricultural College. In her honor, 
it was named the Moore Highway. The formal dedication was on June 21, 
1934, and at the exercises Tifton City Manager, George W. Coleman, present¬ 
ed to Mrs. Moore on behalf of the citizens of Tifton a silver loving cup in 
recognition of her achievement. Numerous distinguished guests were pres¬ 
ent on this festive occasion, which was followed by a barbecue dinner in the 
college dining room. 

In 1932 notification had been given the college that no more diplomas could 
be issued because the library was not up to standard. Mrs. Moore succeeded 
in securing the requisite number of books, and built the library from 1,700 
volumes to 8,500 volumes, and the college continued to graduate students. 

When the college needed a gymnasium. Mrs. Moore and the Kiwanis Club 
gave the needed building, the club donating the cost of walls and the roof 
being Mrs. Moore’s gift. Dater this building burned but was replaced in 1939 
by a building costing $80,000.00. 

When Mrs. Moore served under Governor Ed Rivers during her second 
term of office she was appointed chairman of the University System of Geor¬ 
gia. Largely through her influence the state at this time appropriated $30,- 
000.00 for purchase of land north of the college for experimental work with 
animals. 

Also, Senator Moore succeeded in securing from the government an ap¬ 
propriation of $25,000.00 per annum, for the Coastal Plain Experiment Sta¬ 
tion provided Georgia would raise $20,000.00 for purchase of land. At a 
Board of Regents meeting in Tifton this was done, thus securing the gov¬ 
ernment funds annually. The amount was increased in 1945 to $33,000.00 an¬ 
nually. 


428 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


HOLMES SYLVESTER MURRAY 

Holmes Sylvester Murray (born Irwin County, March 10, 1872—died Tif- 
ton, February 24, 1925; buried at Tifton), was son of Joseph Daniel Murray 
(born Fort Valley, Georgia—died, Sparks, January 7, 1906) and Alice Nance 
Murray (born South Carolina—died October, 1896). A school teacher, Joseph 
taught in Fort Valley, Houston County, in Irwin County, and at Alapaha, 
where he went when little Holmes was a lad of eight years. 

In 1891 Holmes Murray came to Tifton where he studied law under his 
cousin, Columbus W. Fulwood, and after Holmes stood his bar examination 
at Nashville, in 1897, he practiced law in partnership with Mr. Fulwood, the 
firm being Fulwood and Murray, for twenty-five years. 

At Tifton Holmes met Miss Nelta Dean, daughter of Joel Eldridge Dean 
and Allie Virginia Dean, of Tifton, but formerly of Eastman. Mr. Dean was 
with the Tift Lumber Mill in Tifton. Miss Dean finished the junior course in 
music at Brenau in 1893 and thereafter taught music in Columbia, Florida, 
where she and Holmes Murray were married on June 30, 1895, the Reverend 
Dr. Inman, pastor of the Columbia Methodist Church, performing the cere¬ 
mony. Of this union is one daughter, Nelta, of Columbia, South Carolina. 

Holmes Murray in 1893 had become attorney for the Georgia, Southern 
and Florida Railroad, now the Southern. He continued for about fifteen 
years. In 1922 he became Tifton City attorney. 

In 1905, the year in which Tift County came into existence, Holmes Mur¬ 
ray was clerk of Tifton City Council. That year, also, on the Wednesday prior 
to May 5, the Murrays moved from Central Avenue to a house which they 
had built on Love Avenue, between Eight and Sixth Streets. Mrs. Murray 
still makes this her home. 

Mr. Murray was a member of the Tifton Methodist Church. 

Holmes Murray was keenly interested in politics, and he greatly enjoyed 
his friends. He was a member of Gun Lake Country Club, and for five years 
or longer he was president of Ferry Lake, of which he was a charter mem¬ 
ber, also an enthusiastic charter member of the Tifton Kiwanis Club, he was 
second president of that organization. 

TILLOU BACON MURROW 

Tillou Bacon, daughter of Dr. Edwin Henry Bacon (born Walthourville, 
Georgia, August 28, 1839, graduated Medical College, Augusta; died Novem¬ 
ber 30, 1915, Eastman, Georgia; buried at Eastman) and (Sallie) Sarah Jane 
Willingham Bacon (born Allendale, South Carolina, March 28, 1849; first 
honor graduate, Monroe Female College, Forsyth; married in Macon; died, 
August 11, 1917, at Eastman, and is there buried), was born June 6 1871, 
at Albany, Georgia, which was the home of her mother’s parents, Thomas 
Henry Willingham and Cecilia Baynard Willingham. 

Tillou grew up at her parents’ home in Eastman. She graduated from Mon¬ 
roe Female College, Forsyth. After her marriage to J. Badger Murrow, Tif¬ 
ton lawyer, a member of a prominent pioneer family of the community, she 
made her home in Tifton until her death. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


429 


Tillou was niece of Bessie Tift, wife of Henry, the founder of Tifton, Mrs. 
Bacon being Bessie’s eldest sister; and Tillou received as a wedding gift from 
Bessie and Henry the lot at what is now 414 Park Avenue, North, and the 
lumber with which to build the large and handsome house thereon, which 
for many years was the Murrow home, later was the Levy home, and now 
is the Shaw Apartments. 

Like her parents, Tillou was musical. She had an unusually fine voice, 
and was skilled as an organist and as a pianist. She was a devoted and loyal 
wife, mother and friend; and she was noted for her delightful hospitality. She 
was particularly kind to children. She was organist of the Tifton First Baptist 
Church of which she was a member. 

Mrs. Murrow had one brother, Edward Henry Bacon, who married Cath¬ 
erine Harding Tift (Cassie), daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin H. Tift (q.v.) 
and niece of Henry Harding Tift. Mrs. Murrow’s sisters were Sallie (Mrs. 
Reppard Colcord) and Nelia (Mrs. Roy Abernathy), both of Atlanta, and 
both frequent Tifton visitors. 

Mr. and Mrs. Murrow had an only child, Elizabeth Tift Murrow (Bess), 
who possesses musical ability. She graduated from Bessie Tift College, studied 
further at Columbia University, New York, and also studied music in New 
York City where she lived for many years, after her mother’s death, at Tif¬ 
ton, May, 1922. Mrs. Murrow is buried at Tifton. 

Bess Murrow married McCalmy Belknap and they lived in Toledo, Ohio. 
They have a child, John Willingham Belknap. 

Badger Murrow, after Tillou’s death, moved to Florida, where he married 
again and now lives in Orlando. 

IRVINE WALKER MYERS 

Few have been possessed of a personality which so endeared them to a 
host of friends as was Irvine W. Myers. Exceptionally handsome, possessed 
of a rich and sonorous voice, and with a kind friendliness, he numbered his 
friends by those who knew him. When he died a community wept. 

Born in Pamplico, South Carolina, June 1, 1876, Irvine Walker Myers was 
one of eight sons born to A. A. Myers (died 1934, aged 92) and Elizabeth 
Harrell Myers (died, 1904). After Elizabeth Myers died, A. A. Myers married 
Lottie Gray. Irvine’s seven brothers died before Irvine did, but his step¬ 
mother and a half-brother, Monroe Myers, of Pamplico, survived him. Among 
Irvine’s brothers were Carl Myers, of Savannah, and Joe Myers and Will 
Myers, all of whom were in Tifton at some time. 

Irvine W. Myers on December 22, 1899, in Atlanta, married Pearl Willing¬ 
ham, handsome youngest daughter of Cecilia Baynard Willingham and the 
late Thomas Henry Willingham, formerly of Albany, Georgia, and prior to 
the War Between the States, of “Smyrna,” near Old Allendale, South Caro¬ 
lina. Pearl had grown up in Albany, and, after her father’s death, had lived 
in College Park, where she made her home with her brother, Benjamin Wil- 
ingham, and his family, and where she attended Cox College. Pearl was 
youngest sister of Bessie, wife of Henry Tift, founder of Tifton. 


430 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Irvine had come to Tifton when eighteen. Immediately upon arrival he 
became clerk at Hotel Sadie. Later he became proprietor and part owner. 
After the Sadie burned he operated the Hotel Myon which replaced the 
Sadie. Also, he owned and operated a large farm, and he had interests in the 
Fenner Tobacco Warehouse in Tifton. He was an officer in a Tifton bank, 
and he had various other business interests. He was a charter member of 
the Tifton Rotary Club, was a member of Tift County Board of Trade and 
later of the Tift County Chamber of Commerce. 

To Irvine and Pearl Willingham Myers were born two children, Marguerite, 
an exceptionally pretty girl, graduated from Washington Seminary, Atlanta, 
married Le Roy Miller, and lives in Washington. Henry Tift Myers, born 
in Tifton, attended Culver Military Institute; graduated from Georgia School 
of Technology. As early as 1931 Bessie Tift wrote in a letter to a niece: 
“Brother Myers is here (in Tifton) for Christmas and he has won the high¬ 
est honors in his aviation class in everything ...” 

By 1937 Henry Myers was a pilot with the Eastern Air lines with head¬ 
quarters in Texas. In October of that year, Irvine went from Tifton to Ten¬ 
nessee to meet his son and fly with him. He did so and had a glorious ex¬ 
perience. To Pearl he wrote that it was a thrill of a lifetime to ride at an 
altitude of eleven thousand feet, and at more than two hundred miles per 
hour! The letter reached Pearl on Thursday afternoon, and at six of that 
same afternoon Irvine died of a heart attack suffered in a Nashville, Tennes¬ 
see hotel. His body was brought back to Tifton and buried here where all 
mourned his passing. 

After Irvine’s death, Pearl bought the other heir’s interest in the Myon 
Hotel, and she operated it until recently when she leased it to a hotel com¬ 
pany which operates a chain of hotels. 

Henry Myers continued his aviation and in World War II entered the 
United States Aviation Corps in which he is Lieutenant Colonel. He piloted 
the famous “Sacred Cow,” used by President Truman. During President 
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration, Myers often piloted the plane used 
by Mrs. Roosevelt. He now pilots President Truman’s new plane. During 
the War Col. Myers was pilot of the plane which took the five senators on 
their famous inspection flight around the world. It was on this flight that he 
made the hazardous and long flight of four thousand miles above water, the 
first time that so great a distance above water had been attempted. For this 
he had made innumerable long flights over land in order to assure himself 
and his superior officers that the long flight was possible. 

In Texas Henry Myers had met Miss Maidee Calaway Williams, daughter 
of Mrs. Henry Washington Williams and the late Mr. Williams. Miss Wil¬ 
liams and Colonel Myers were wed on Saturday, December 1, 1944 at a cere¬ 
mony performed at Bethesda, Maryland. Of this union is a son, born Wash¬ 
ington, D. C., Monday, April 28, 1947. 

BENJAMIN HILL McLEOD 

Benjamin Hill McLeod, son of Daniel W. McLeod and Catherine Parker 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


431 


McLeod, from North Carolina, was born at Sumner, Georgia, September 14, 
1885. He attended the public schools at Sumner and at Tifton where his par¬ 
ents moved during his boyhood. 

On January 1, 1900, when a lad of only fifteen, Ben began work at the Bank 
of Tifton. After six years he was made assistant cashier; he became cashier 
in 1912; in 1922 he became vice-president, and, in 1945, executive vice-presi¬ 
dent, his present position. 

In January, 1912, B. H. McLeod was elected the first secretary-treasurer 
of the Country Club at Gun Lake. 

On June 18, 1912 Benjamin Hill McLeod and Hortense Mulloy were 
united in marriage. Mrs. McLeod, a young woman of exceptional beauty, 
was daughter of Professor Mulloy, superintendent of schools, first at East¬ 
man and later at Tifton. Of this union were two children, Mildred Floyd Mc¬ 
Leod (McLanahan), born January 13, 1914, and Ben Hill McLeod, Jr., born 
October 23, 1919. 

Mr. McLeod, Sr., has two sisters, Mrs. J. J. Golden and Mrs. D. B. Har¬ 
rell, both prominent in the woman’s work of the Tifton First Baptist Church. 
Mrs. Golden has been choir director at that church for thirty-five years; Mrs. 
Golden has since the death of Bessie Tift, been teacher of the Bessie Tift 
Bible Class of the First Baptist Sunday School. Also she was for several 
years president of the Woman’s Missionary union of that church; and Mrs. 
Golden is treasurer. 

The McLeods, during the childhood of B. T. McLeod, Mrs. Golden and 
Mrs. Harrell, lived in the large house which formerly stood at the northwest 
corner of Park Avenue, at Fourth Street. 

the McMillan family 

Daniel McMillan and his wife, Margaret, were married in Scotland and had 
six children, of whom the sons were John, Malcolm, and Archie. Prior to 
1812 the family emigrated to America and settled in Virginia. Thence they 
moved to North Carolina; thence to South Carolina, and thence to Georgia, 
where they settled in Irwin County on the place where in 1912 lived Joe 
Fletcher, near Alapaha station. John, Malcolm and Archie were among the 
pioneers of Irwin County. 

John McMillan married Sally, eldest daughter of Jacob Paulk, son of 
Micajah Paulk, and had thirteen children, Dan, John, Jim, Malcolm, Jacob, 
Archie, George, Margaret, Mary, Sarah, Betsy, Malissa, Kate. 

Malcolm McMillan, son of Daniel and Margaret, married Rachel Sumner, 
daughter of Jesse Sumner. They had fifteen children: Archie, John, Jesse, 
Jim, Malcolm, Ashley, Randall, William, Burrell, Alexander, Mary, Margaret, 
Nancy, Jane, Viney. 

Archie McMillan, son of Daniel and Margaret, married Margaret Young, 
daughter of Thomas Young, first. Children of Archie and Margaret Young 
McMillan were: Red, whose real name was Malcolm McMillan; John, 
Mary, Jane, Margaret, Thomas, Kate, Becky, Jacob (Jake). 


432 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Red Malcolm McMillan, above mentioned, was born October 24, 1853. 
On November 21, 1873, he married Narcissa Henderson (born November 3, 
1858) daughter of Elizabeth Paulk Henderson (born March 26, 1841, daugh¬ 
ter of John Jaulk) and Robert Henderson (born February 12, 1831; married 
March 12, 1857), son of Rhoda Whitley Henderson (born June 5, 1804; mar¬ 
ried September 19, 1820) and John Henderson (born October 15, 1789, son 
of Daniel Henderson who married Sallie McBride in North Carolina, prob¬ 
ably prior to 1810, and settled in Irwin County about nine miles S. E. of 
Ocilla at a place later known as the Wyatt Tucker place but then a wilder¬ 
ness still inhabited by Indians and full of wolves and deer. Daniel and Salie 
had nine chidren and members of their families became well known through¬ 
out Turner and Irwin Counties. They produced fifteen members of the 
House of Representatives of the Georgia Legislature and six state senators, 
through the year 1926. 

Red Malcolm McMillan and Narcissa Henderson McMillan had nine chil¬ 
dren: Sarah, Elizabeth, Archibald, Margaret, Catherine, Robert H., John H., 
Edwin, Viola. Of these seven lived to maturity. To each of the girls who 
lived to maturity Red gave half a land lot, that is, 250 acres or its equivalent 
in money. To each of the boys who lived to maturity he gave one land lot, 
that is, 490 acres. Archibald’s portion fell in what is now Tift County and 
there he settled. Robert H. settled at Brookfield. 

Archiebald McMillan of what is now Tift County, married Mittie F. Car¬ 
ter, July 9, 1903. To them were born: Aubrey, Lucile, L. D., Julian, Archi¬ 
bald. 

Robert H., who settled at Brookfield, married Mattie Irene Connell. To 
them were born: Mabel, Inez, R. H. II, Edwin W., Emory D. 

Of the above, R. H. McMillan II married Gladys Greene, of Tifton, 
daughter of Mrs. Louise Greene, daughter of Mrs. Arjane Fletcher, daugh¬ 
ter of James W. Overstreet, son of Moses Overstreet, Mrs. Fletcher being 
the oldest living member of the Overstreet family, pioneer residents of what 
is now Tift County. 

Children of R. H. McMillan II and Gladys Greene McMillan are 
Martha Louise, R. H. Ill (Tim), Patricia, Christopher Paul. This family 
now lives at 419 Park Avenue, Tifton. 

For further information regarding the McMillan family, see the book, 
“Henderson and Whiddon Families” by William Henderson. 

SILAS AND DUNCAN O’QUINN 

At a huge O’Quinn reunion held some years ago near Odum, Appling 
County, Georgia, more than fifteen hundred persons were present. 

The first O’Quinn to come to America came from County Cork, Ireland, 
to Charleston, South Carolina. There also came from Ireland to South 
Carolina many years ago Elias Branch and his wife, Mary DeVaughn Branch. 
Elias and Mary had six children: Dave, Jim, and Nancy, who settled in 
Irwin County; Mike and Elias, who settled in Appling County; and Rachel, 
who married Duncan O’Quinn and settled in Berrien County after the War 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


433 


Between the States. Duncan was judge of the Inferior Court of Berrien 
County. 

Children of Judge Duncan O’Quinn and Rachel Branch O’Quinn were 
Silas, Elias, Dave, Martha, and Susan. 

Of the above children, the sons married as follows: 

Silas married, first, Maggie Robinson, of Wayne County; second, Tina 
Rowland. Elias married Charity Herring. Dave married Sally Edge. 

Children of Silas and Maggie Robinson O’Quinn were John, who married 
Leah Bennett; Ida, who married J. B. Wallace; Marcus; Robinson, who mar¬ 
ried Minnie McClellan, in 1898. 

Children of Silas O’Quinn and Tina Rowland were Gus, Lamar, who mar¬ 
ried Fannie Morris; Elias, who married Lucy B. Mitchell; Unie, who mar¬ 
ried J. M. McSwain; Florie, who married G. H. Mitchell; Silas; Donie. 

Elias and Charity Herring O’Quinn had the following children: Mattie 
(Mrs. L. G. Rutland); T. H.; Elias, who married Mattie Whiddon; Charles, 
who married Maggie Paulk; Estelle, who married M. B. McClellan; Cath- 
leen, who married Ed Willis (of Willis Dairy). 

Chidren of Dave and Sally Edge O’Quinn were Daisy, H. M., Varney, 
Arzula. 

The sisters, Martha and Susan, daughters of Duncan and Rachel Branch 
O’Quinn, married, respectively, Red Bennett and John Bennett. 

Children of Red and Martha were Rachel, Viola, Becky, Roxie, Ralphael. 

Children of John and Susan were Ruby, Pearl, Gordy, Britt, Essie. 

Silas O’Quinn, the elder, and his brother, Elias O’Quinn, were farmers 
and both lived on farms, which they owned, near Tifton. Silas came to Tif- 
ton about sixty years ago and was a blacksmith working for H. H. Tift at 
the Tift Mill. Silas died in 1933. 

Of Silas, the editor of the Tifton Gazette wrote, in July, 1895: “Mr. Silas 
O’Quinn came around early in the week to make peace with the devil with a 
lot of peaches . . . the finest specimens ever brought to this office. The devil 
is full of peaches and gratitude.” 

THE OVERSTREETS 

The Colonial Records of Georgia, Vol. XXII, page 245 quote from a letter 
of General James Oglethorpe to accountant in which he mentions “a loan in 
cattle to one Overstreet, an industrious man with a wife and six children in 
Augusta.” This was in 1739. 

In 1743 a document in London set forth that the township of Augusta 
outside of the garrison embraced only a few white people, traders with In¬ 
dians. Among the list of sixteen names of settlers at the fort was Henry 
Overstreet. 

In 1762 at a meeting of Council in Savannah, on May 4, was read a petition 
of Henry Overstreet, lately come into the province of Georgia with his wife 
and six children in order to settle. He was granted 150 acres of land about 
three miles above the mouth of Briar Creek, famous in history as the stream 
believed by Georgia’s early historian, Jones, to be that which De Soto and 


'!34 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


his men swam in their march through Georgia. Also it was the stream near 
which was captured the valiant Colonel John McIntosh, American patriot 
of the Scotch colony of New Inverness, later called Darien. Near this stream 
Overstreet was granted additional acreage and this became the Georgia home 
of the Overstreets. Thence one crossed over into South Carolina and wed. 
This was James Overstreet who, in 1771, married Sarah Booth (born Dec. 
10, 1756, died December 24, 1818). Sarah was daughter of Mary and John 
Booth, who wed in 1753. John Booth served with the upper Granville County 
regiment of the South Carolina Militia and was killed in action at Hutson’s 
Ferry 1779 (see Memoir of Tarleton Brown, reprint of 1894, pp. 5 and 6). For 
this Revolutionary patriot the John Booth Chapter of the Sons of the Ameri¬ 
can Revolution, Columbia, South Carolina, is named. 

To James Overstreet and Sarah Booth Overstreet was born a son, James 
Overstreet, Jr., born in Barnwell District, South Carolina, February 11, 
1773; married, in 1795, Eliza Holcombe Brown (born April 13, 1773; died 
September 6, 1817) whose mother, nee Holcombe, was a daughter of the 
widow Holcombe who married Bartlett Brown, Sr., uncle of Tarleton Brown, 
a captain in the Revolutionary War. James Overstreet, Jr., was a lawyer, was 
justice of the peace at Barnwell, in 1807, and was representative from South 
Carolina to the 16th and 17th congresses. He died at China Grove, North 
Carolina, May 24, 18? , while returning from Washington, and Congress ad¬ 
journed in respect to his memory and a sketch of him was printed in the 
Congressional Record. 

Sarah Booth Overstreet, wife of James, Sr., received 125 acres of land from 
her mother, and the deed was recorded April 9, 1801. By her will, recorded 
November 29, 1818, Sarah left property to her son, James Overstreet, and 
others. Sarah is buried in the Brown graveyard, Barnwell, South Carolina. 
Sarah Booth Overstreet and James Overstreet, Sr., had six children: James, 
John, Henry, a daughter (Mrs. Brown), Mary, Samuel. 

Of the above family of Overstreets, Moses Overstreet (born about 1798, 
died March 1, 1852; buried at Royal’s Church, Coffee County, Georgia), mar¬ 
ried in March, 1819 Elizabeth Carter. Of this union were ten children: 1. 
Henry Josiah (born Sept. 25, 1820; never married); 2. James W. 3. Sarah 
Ann (born Feb. 25, 1825; died May 5, 1898; married William Royal). 4. Jane 
Elizabeth (born December 5, 1827; died July 20, 1828); 5. Mary A. (born 
July 11, 1829; died Sept. 27, 1829); 6 Moses William (born March 10, 1832; 
died Jan. 9, 1852 never married); 7. Martha Amanda (born Oct. 21, 1835; 
married Griffis Richatson); 8. Seaborn Franklin (born July 28, 1838; killed 
in War Between the States, May 26, 1865); 9. Benjamin Jacob (born May 
13, 1841; killed in War Between the States, June 29, 1862); 10. Mary Cath¬ 
erine (born July 25, 1843; married John Spell. 

Of these children of Moses and Elizabeth Carter Overstreet, James W. 
Overstreet was the only son to survive the War Between the States and 
leave descendants. He was born in Burke County, Georgia, October 27, 
1822. On February 3, 1852 he married Susan Ann Solomon (born in Coffee 
County, May 16, 1836; died May 30, 1925; buried at Ty Ty Church), daughter 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


435 


of Godwin Solomon. James was reared in Screven County; later went to 
Worth County; apparently he or one of his name went from Screven County 
over into South Carolina but later moved back to Georgia. James was among 
the pioneer residents of what is now Tift County. He lived on a large farm 
which he owned near Little River, on the Omega Road, and he had built 
the Overstreet Bridge which formerly stood near his plantation. This old 
bridge has been replaced by a concrete structure. James was a Godly man, 
interested in charity work and is said by some, “to have done more of this 
personally than any other man of this section in his day.” He was interested 
also in building schools and roads. James and Susan had a large family of 
children and James died March 6, 1900, and is buried at old Ty Ty Church. 

Children of James and Susan Ann Solomon Overstreet were: 1. Delilah: 
2. Henry Clay; 3. Elizabeth; 4. Mary Jane; 5. Martha Ann; 6. Seaborn 
Franklin; 7. Arjane; 8. Susan Clayton; 9. Moses Oscar; 10. James W., Jr.; 
11. Josiah; 12. David; 13. Lilia; 14. Lula; 15. Benjamin Jacob. 

Of the above fifteen children fourteen lived to maturity. Of these several 
lived in Tift County. Of these was Judge Seaborn Franklin Overstreet, born 
August 18, 1864, Coffee County, near Durham’s Mill, died Sept. 17, 1941; 
buried Tifton; married Mary Ann Eason Wills (born May 30, 1872, Worth 
County) daughter of Dempsey R. Willis and Mary Ann Baker. Issue were: 
Bessie, C. Crandall, Henry C., N. Russell, Seaborn Franklin, Jr., Julian 
(Dock), Flora Kate, Lillian. Flora Kate Overstreet (Mrs. Emerson Mitchell) 
is possessed of an extraordinarily sweet soprano voice, and for many years 
sang in the choir of the Tifton First Baptist Church. 

Arjane Overstreet, born March 17, 1866, Coffee County, married, June 24, 
1880, in Irwin County, George Washington Fletcher (born Nov. 11, 1858; 
died Feb. 17, 1920) son of Jehu Fletcher and Matilda Sumner Fletcher. To 
Arjane and G. W. Fletcher were born Susie, Leonard and Louise. Early left 
a widow, Mrs. Fletcher reared her orphaned children and also her orphaned 
grandchildren. At more than eighty, she is still a beautiful woman; and her 
piety and shrewd common sense are of exceptional order. Of her grandchil¬ 
dren, Martha Louise Greene was Miss T. H. S. the year of her graduation 
from Tifton High School. She is a young woman of great beauty. Another 
granddaughter, Mary Catherine Driskell, is an unusually beautiful blond. An¬ 
other granddaughter, Gladys Greene, a talented writer, married R. H. Mc¬ 
Millan (see article on McMillans). 

Lilia Overstreet, born Dec. 13, 1876, Worth County (now Tift); died Jan. 
18, 1930; buried Ty Ty Church, Tift County; married Feb. 23, 1893, in Worth, 
now Tift, George Washington Crum (born Feb. 25, 1869; died Feb. 11, 1913; 
buried Ty Ty Church). Issue: Jewel, Homer P. (married Ted Wallace); 
Elder Lloyd, Jim, Robert, William Paul. 

For several years prior to World War II the Overstreet Family held a 
reunion at Abraham-Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton. Several hundred 
members of the Overstreet family were in attendance. Mrs. Arjane Over- 
street Fletcher, of 419 Park Avenue, Tifton, is the oldest living member of 
the Overstreet family (in 1947). 


436 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


A more comprehensive genealogy of the Overstreet family is contained in 
the book, “The James W. Overstreet, Sr., and Allied Families,” by J. V. 
Chapman. 


PADRICK BROTHERS, MERCHANTS 

In 1890 W. O. Padrick, a native of Bainbridge, Ga., came to Tifton and 
opened a dry goods store in the Julian building on Railroad Street. One 
year later he was joined by his brothers, Geo. H. and Jno G. Padrick, and 
the business was moved to a large store which they had erected on Main 
Street in Block No. 12, about where Dismuke’s store now stands. This was 
a department store, carrying dry goods, millinery, groceries, furniture, hard¬ 
ware and all kinds of farm implements. They enjoyed a large trade from the 
surrounding counties. 

In 1896 Padrick Brothers erected the large brick store just across from the 
Myon Hotel, then the Sadie Hotel. It is now known as the Boatright building. 

After conducting a business there for several years they sold to Mr. J. R. 
Cole, of Newnan, Ga. W. O. Padrick then went to New York where he 
lived for some years, and Geo. H. moved to Lakeland, Fla., where he still 
resides. Jno. G. remained in Tifton until his death two years ago last No¬ 
vember. 

All three of the brothers were active in civic and church work, being 
stewards in the Methodist church for many years. A younger brother, J. L. 
Padrick, now lives in Tifton and is connected with the city office; he also is 
a steward in the Methodist church. 

Geo. H. Padrick was a director in the Bank of Tifton when it was first 
organized. W. O. Padrick was one of the first stockholders in the Tifton 
Gazette. 


THOMAS JEFFERSON PARKER 

Thomas Jefferson Parker was the name given to the son born to Joshua 
Browning Parker and Serena Wright Parker in Henry County, Georgia, 
December 27, 1850. In his youth he joined the Philadelphia Church (Presby¬ 
terian), in Clayton County. 

On December 12, 1872, at Forest Park, Georgia, Parker married pretty 
Martha Rowena McLendon (born Pike County, June 6, 1850), daughter of 
Preston and Missouri Rucker McLendon. The bride was of the Forsyth 
Ruckers, and her grandmother Rucker had attended Monroe Female College. 
Rowena was well educated and had taught school and also was a newspaper 
correspondent. During her childhood she had joined the Baptist Church. 

Not' long after marriage the T. J. Parkers moved to Roswell, Georgia. 
Both of them loved the place. Roswell was picturesque and its historic 
homes, Mimosa Hall, Bullock Hall, girlhood home of Mittie Bullock, mother 
of President Theodore Roosevelt, Barrington Hall, which bore the family 
name of Catherine Barrington, wife of Roswell King, founder of the town, 
were among the most stately and beautiful in the state. There, also, was 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


437 


Colonial Place, the home of Dr. Francis Robert Goulding, author of “Young 
Marooners” and other books for children, and also the inventor of the sew¬ 
ing machine, some time prior to Elias Howe’s invention. At Roswell, too, 
were the great Roswell Mills, established so long ago by Roswell King, that 
they were in operation at the time of the War Between the States and made 
some uniforms for the Confederate Army. All of these things interested the 
Parkers and they took pride in Roswell’s history, and they and the Parker 
children, who grew up there, loved the town. The children were Verna, an 
only beloved daughter, and her brothers: J. Cliff, G. R., W. H., Harry E., 
and Charlie. Everything would have been wonderful had not Jefferson Parker 
had asthma; but asthma he had. 

In 1886 Jeff and two of his Roswell neighbors, Bill Gunter and Charles 
Talley decided to take a trip. They decided they would go to Gainesville, 
Florida, and see if they saw any land \vhich they would like to buy. The 
three of them set out. They traveled in a wagon drawn by four mules, and 
the men would camp out nearly every night. 

At Arabi the travellers sojourned for two days with a Mr. Pitts. There 
Pitts offered to sell Parker a thousand acres of good land for a thousand dol¬ 
lars; but they did not trade. Instead the party proceeded south, passing 
through Tifton and on to Florida. In Florida Talley remained until his 
death, but Parker returned to Roswell. 

However, Mr. Parker could not get Tifton out of his mind. In 1889 he 
returned there and stayed for a while with John T. Hightower, who built 
the Tifton, Thomasville and Gulf Railroad. While in Tifton Mr. Parker was 
free of asthma, and enjoyed everything as he had not for years. He decided 
the thing to do was to move to Tifton. 

Back he went to well loved Roswell to get his family and his possessions. 
He left his family at Roswell until he could make ready for them in Ber¬ 
rien. In 1900 he sent his stock and sixteen mules and horses through country 
in charge of fourteen men. He went by train. When he arrived in Tifton 
the first man he saw was John B. Greene, whom he asked if he had seen a 
number of men from North Georgia. They had dined at his restaurant the 
night before, Greene told him. 

Mr. Parker bought land at Omega, set up a sawmill there, and there built 
a house for his family and several houses for the mill hands. He sent for his 
family, and the Parkers lived at Omega for one year then went to Docia 
where he had a sawmill and where he and his family remained for another 
year. There they were neighbors of the George W. Warrens. Mr. Parker 
owned eight sawmills near Tifton. 

In 1902, Thomas Jefferson Parker and his family moved to Tifton. Here 
Mr. Parker built fifty-two houses. The first home here was one of nine 
houses which he built. From this he moved to the Love Avenue house now 
occupied by S. A. Youmans. This Parker built, and his son, Charlie, built 
the house next door, now the C. B. Holmes residence. After three years in 
the Love Avenue house T. J. Parker built and moved into the home which 
now for many years has been called “Parker House,” on Central Avenue, 
next to the corner of Twelfth Street. 


438 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Mr. Parker farmed also; he owned eight large farms, and of his farming 
venture made a tremendous success. He became famous in the community 
because he cleared $3,000.00 one year on a two-horse farm. He was a be¬ 
liever in wheat growing and said he longed to see Tifton have a flour mill. 

Parker’s eldest grandson was Tift County’s first volunteer in World War I. 

In 1920, when Mr. Parker was past seventy he and a friend made a journey 
up into the mountains of North Georgia. They became lost in the great 
woods of the mountains above Ellijay, and for forty hours they wandered 
without food. Afterward he wrote of his experience: 

“Finally we reached the Connesauga River and our means of escape was 
practically assured . . . after five hours of hard riding we had to cross the 
stream on the bottoms of solid rock . . . This was about eighteen miles from 
any place where a vehicle could go . . . After a while we came to a trail . . . 
we came to the abode of an' old mountain preacher, a Mr. Hall ... a two 
room house built of the timber which grew all around. His wife and little 
daughter lifted the hearth stone and brought up eggs and bacon . . . This 
was the best meal I have ever eaten!” 

Mr. and Mrs. Parker celebrated their golden anniversary. There was a 
brilliant reception at Parker house and Rowena and Jeff got married all over 
again, with a double ring ceremony, and with their children for attendants, 
and with many friends present, and numerous handsome gifts. 

After the golden wedding the Parkers enjoyed ten more happy years to¬ 
gether before Mrs. Parker died, December 29, 1932. Thomas Jefferson Park¬ 
er lived until June 1940, when he was almost ninety. 

JACOB MARION PAULK and 
ANNIE CATHERINE REGISTER PAULK 

Micajah Paulk, of North Carolina, was the first Paulk to come to Irwin 
County, Georgia. His wife was Mary C. Young. Their son, James, married 
Faithy Akerage. James and Faithy had a son, James, called Jeems, who mar¬ 
ried Milly Whiddon, June 1, 1865. 

Jacob Marion Paulk, son of Jeems and Milly Whiddon Paulk, was born 
April 19, 1866, in Irwin County. When a small boy his mother died. Later 
his father married again and there was a large family by the second marriage. 

Jacob attended the schools of Irwin County. He later was a student at the 
Florida Normal School at White Springs, Florida, and in 1882, when Dr. 
M. A. McNulty founded the South Georgia Male and Female College at 
Dawson, Georgia, he attended that institution of learning, where he remain¬ 
ed in 1883. There he won three medals, one in mathematics, one in scholar¬ 
ship, and one for general excellence. A shy, studious youth, he never looked 
at a girl, and he always had a book. The S. G. M. and F. C. went out of exis¬ 
tence in 1885, upon the death of Dr. MicNulty. 

After teaching in Wilcox County during his early manhood, Paulk was 
in the mercantile business in Rochelle before going to Alapaha where he 
and a Mr. Gaskins were partners in a general merchandise business. 

In 1895 Mr. Paulk came from Alapaha to Tifton. Here, on Main Street, 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


439 


in the south side of what is now Friendlander’s, he conducted a general mer¬ 
chandise business purchased from another Mr. Gaskins. This Paulk sold in 
1899 and thereafter he opened a furniture business. This, located on Second 
Street, he sold to Kent when Paulk became cashier of the new Citizens’ Bank, 
opened February 1st, 1903, where the Cigar Store now is. Paulk was a stock¬ 
holder, and E. A. Buck was president. 

On a Wednesday in November, 1899, Jacob Marion Paulk married Annie 
Catherine Register, daughter of James W. Register (born February 4, 1850, 
at Hamilton County, Florida; died, Jasper, Florida, June, 1929) and Florence 
Rainey Register (born March 11, 1851, Hamilton County; died June 1917, at 
Jasper). The ceremony was performed by the bride’s pastor, the Reverend 
T. H. Bradford, of the Jasper Methodist Church, at the home of the bride’s 
parents. Immediately after the ceremony the Paulks came to Tifton. 

As bride and groom the Paulks, upon coming to Tifton, boarded with the 
Badger Murrows on Park Avenue until the home which the Paulks were 
building on Central Avenue could be finished. Then they moved there. 

Years passed. Life to Marion was sweet. He had a beautiful and talented 
wife. He had a son and a pretty little daughter. He owned his home. He had 
a good position in the bank. He had everything—except health. 

In search of health Marion went to Johns Hopkins, to Atlanta, to Mo¬ 
bile. At Mobile Dr. H. P. Cole was effecting cures by giving blood transfu¬ 
sions. He was the only physician in the Southeast giving them. Jacob 
Marion’s brother, Edward, of Ocilla, went too and bared his arm. A five 
inch slit was made and a pint and a half of blood was drawn; but in those 
days few had heard of blood matching. After the transfusion Marion had a 
violent chill. He was able to travel, later, back to Tifton, but soon after¬ 
ward he died, Saturday, March 26, 1910. Of him was written in the Tifton 
Gazette: “One of nature’s noblemen, a man whose life was above reproach 
and whose dealings with his fellow-man were marked with sterling honesty 
and unflinching integrity, and whose life as a Christian, as a husband, a 
father and citizen, stands as a mark for emulation and praise, passed away 
—when Jacob Marion Paulk breathed his last.” 

Mrs. Paulk set herself to the business of rearing and educating her chil¬ 
dren. Back in Jasper she had played the organ in the Methodist Church 
from the time she was ten, until the time of her marriage. She had studied 
music at the Jasper Normal Institute, of which Mr. J. M. Guilliams was 
head. After her marriage she studied further at the Atlanta Conservatory 
and at Brenau. She taught music in Tifton and contributed much to the 
musical life of the town. She was a charter member and first president of 
the Tifton Music Club, organized by Mrs. Durrett, of Cordele. 

Mrs. Paulk reared her children, and they would come back to Tifton and 
visit her. Her married daughter, who lived in Atlanta, would bring Mrs. 
Paulk’s little grandchildren. White-haired Kate Register Paulk continued 
to play a large part in Tifton’s life. She continued to teach music and had 
many piano pupils, both boys and girls. 

One day in late August, 1947, Kate Paulk said, “I think I'll go over and 


440 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


go up stairs in the house where the Murrows used to live. I haven’t been 
there for a long time. I think I’d like to see it again.” She did. Afterward 
she was quiet for a little while. Her eyes were shiny and very blue, but she 
went about her duties as usual. 

A few days later Tifton was grieved to learn that Kate had suddenly had 
a heart attack. She went immediately. Perhaps she wished to go to Marion. 

Marion and Kate Register Paulk’s children are Maudie (Mrs. Warren 
Maddox, of Atlanta), and Clarence, also of Atlanta. 

JOHN A. PETERSON 

John Atkinson Peterson, born in Douglas, Georgia, August 13, 1870, was 
educated in the schools of Coffee County, entered Emory College at Oxford 
where he took the literary course, and then went to Atlanta with an Emory 
professor and a group of Emory students who removed to the Capital City 
and became the beginning of Georgia School of Technology. Among his fel¬ 
low students when still in Oxford were W. L. Harman, later superintendent 
of Tifton Schools, and James Clements, later Judge Clements, of Irwinville. 

Young Peterson was skilled in working with cabinet makers tools and 
also was gifted as a metalurgist, but after remaining at the young Georgia 
Tech for a short time he left that college and entered upon the study of 
dentistry at the Atlanta College of Dentistry, from which he graduated, 1898. 

John Peterson had first come to Tifton in 1894 when he came here to be 
with his brother, Dr. Nicholls Peterson, and it was while in Tifton that he 
decided upon being a dentist. While still a student he practiced here, during 
vacations, with Dr. Alexander, eminent Alapaha dentist who came to Tifton 
several days a week, and here had an office. 

After his graduation, Dr. Peterson came to Tifton and took over the Alex¬ 
ander practice as well as continuing with his own. 

Dr. John Peterson met and married Miss Mabel Haulbrook, a teacher, 
daughter of William Coleman Haulbrook and Susannah Mason Haulbrook, 
newcomers to Tifton from Calhoun, Georgia, where Mr. Haulbrook had been 
a merchant. Although the Haulbrooks later bought land here they at that 
time were living on the Morris Place on the Brookfield Road and there 
Mabel and John were wed, September 2, 1903. Thereafter they lived for a 
year at Hotel Sadie, then, with the Haulbrooks, at what is now the R. E. 
Hall Place on West Sixth Street. Then they moved into the cottage which 
later, at the time of his death, was the home of Chief of Police Joseph Hen¬ 
derson. Thence they moved to the Nicholls Peterson home on Love Avenue 
and there their son, John Haulbrook Peterson, was born. 

After other moves the John Petersons built and for twenty-five years lived 
in the Central Avenue house now the home of the G. N. Herrings. To Dr. 
and Mrs. Peterson were born two other children, Clyde Mason and Rosalie 
Mason, both of whom died in infancy. 

During all this time Dr. Peterson was practicing dentistry in Tifton, where 
he was highly regarded and greatly beloved. Also he was prominent in state 
and national dental societies. His son, John studied dentistry and practiced 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


441 


with him. John married a charming young woman, Mary Woody, daughter 
of Willis Gaines Woody, and Mary Reynolds Woody. To John and Mary 
were born sons whom they named John Haulbrook, Jr., and Nicholls Alton. 
A daughter, Mary Catherine, was born not long after her grandfather’s death. 

Dr. John Peterson died at Tift County Hospital, March 13, 1944. Burial 
was at Tifton. 


NICHOLLS PETERSON 

Nicholls Peterson was born near Douglas, Georgia, January 31, 1868, lived 
for a time in Kirkland, attended Southern Medical College, graduated from 
the University of Louisville, took post graduate work in New York. After 
practicing medicine for about a year at Irwinville, he came to Tifton, in 
1891. Except for a few months at Douglas he continued to practice medicine 
in Tifton until ten days prior to his death at the Coastal Plain Hospital, Tif¬ 
ton, Friday morning, March 13, 1936. Burial was in Tifton, where a host of 
friends mourned his passing. 

At Tifton, May 16, 1897, the Reverend C. E. Crawley, pastor of the Tifton 
Methodist Church, performing the ceremony, Dr. Peterson was married to 
Miss Edna McQueen, of Nashville, Tennessee. She had been teaching at the 
Tifton- Institute (see article on Mrs. Peterson, in Education chapter, this 
book). 

Nicholls Peterson was a member of the Tifton Board of Education from 
about 1904 until 1923, when he resigned at the end of Mr. J. C. Sirmans’s 
term of office as school head. For many years Dr. Peterson was chairman 
of the Board. 

Dr. Peterson served on Tifton’s earliest Board of Health created at a 
meeting of Tifton City Council, March 2, 1891. Other members of the board 
were Dr. J. C. Goodman, Dr. J. A. McCrea, Messrs. T. M. Greer, H. H. Park¬ 
er. At various times throughout many years Dr. Peterson served on the board 
of health. He was elected city physician of Tifton August 24, 1893 and in 
this capacity served at various times during many years. He was. appointed, 
by Governor Terrell, a member of the Board of Public Welfare and con¬ 
tinued on this board until 1911 when he resigned in order to accept appoint¬ 
ment as a member of the Georgia Board of Medical Examiners, on which he 
continued until 1925. He was Tift County’s representative to the state legis¬ 
lature for two years, 1925 and 1926. Soon after coming to Tifton he became 
a trustee of the Tifton Methodist Church and served in that capacity until 
his death. 

Dr. Peterson began practicing in ’‘the horse and buggy days.” He loved 
fine horses and had a span said to be among the finest in the state. He 
and another Tifton man owned a livery stable here. His partner conducted 
the business. 

Dr. Peterson began the House, which became the C. W. Fulwood home, 
for a hospital, but sold it instead to Fulwood. Dr. Peterson then opened a 
small hospital in other quarters. He later had a hospital in the home now 
occupied by Marion Holmes. Still later, with others, he conducted the Coastal 


442 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Plain Hospital which continued until the opening of Tift County Hospital. 
At the new hospital the nursery is a memorial to Dr. Peterson who brought 
into the world more than a thousand babies. 

A person who did not live in Tifton and know Dr. Peterson when he prac¬ 
ticed here can have no adequate conception of the esteem with which he was 
revered, nor the deep affection in which he was held by thousands of patients 
who not only respected him for his professional skill, but also loved him be¬ 
cause of his spirit of kindliness. 

After he passed to his long rest a memorial service was held for Nicholls 
Peterson at the Twentieth Century Library Club. At this service Dr. Orin 
Mixon read a long and high tribute to Dr. Peterson. This, which was writ¬ 
ten by Dr. C. W. Durden who knew Dr. Peterson in other years when Dr. 
Durden lived in Tifton, read in part: 

“He was a most charitable man. He would forgive like a child, nor would 
he treasure a grievance to mar his peace of mind; nor conjure time or occa¬ 
sion to repay an injury. He pushed from his mind as pestiferous weeds hatred 
and malice, but cultivated with delight the flowers of brotherly love toward 
all men. This made him the guileless man he was as he walked among men.” 

J. J. L. PHILLIPS 

J. J. L. Phillips, his brother, P. D., and two other children moved with 
their parents from Alabama to Louisiana, in 1873. There his father, who was 
a physician, and his mother died in August of 1874. In October of 1874 an 
uncle from Alabama came and carried all of the orphaned children to his 
farm in Alabama. Here the children learned to work and they attended an 
Old Field School several weeks of each year. 

In 1893 J. J. L. and P. D. came to Chula and there set up a small 
saw mill which they operated jointly. Later they operated a larger mill 
at Eldorado. After some years as joint owners J. J. L. sold his interest 
in the mill to his brother P. D. and J. J. L. moved to Tifton, where he 
opened a wholesale lumber business. J. L. Padrick worked for him in 
the office of this business. Later J. J. L. engaged in farming on a large 
scale, and he was interested especially in the raising of Black Angus 
cattle. Buyers came from great distances to view his herds and buy his 
cattle. Also he was manager of a “long distance telephone company,” 
in 1903. That year, also, he became the first president of the First National 
Bank of Tifton, which opened in February. O. D. Gorman was cashier. 

J. J. L. was nearly blind. He could not see well enough to read a letter 
even, and everything had to be read to him. His secretary, from South 
Carolina, was a pleasant young person and he fell in love with her and 
they were married. 

In the early days J. J. L. Phillips was a member of the Sam Clyatt Fishing 
Club which used to make annual excursions to Homasassa, Florida. Later he 
was a member of the Country Club, at Gun Lake. 

Associated in business with J. J. L. were the Hollinsworths. Mrs. Hollins- 
worth, prior to her marriage, was a Dickerson, and the Phillipses, the Hollins- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


443 


worths and the Dickersons and Dr. and Mrs. J. M. Price were close friends. 

After his marriage J. J. L. Phillips built a large and handsome brick resi¬ 
dence at the southwest corner of Central Avenue at Twelfth Street. There 
he and Mrs. Phillips lived for a number of years before moving to Florida 
where he engaged in further sawmill operations, before moving to Coral 
Gables where Mr. and Mrs. Phillips now make their home. 

The beautiful Tifton home which J. J. L. built for Evie was sold to the 
W. T. Roughtons. Later, after the death of Mrs. Roughton, it was purchased 
by the Twentieth Century Library Club, and it has not only housed the 
library but has been the scene of many beautiful receptions and weddings. 

JOHN A. PHILLIPS 

John A. Phillips was born in Emanuel County, Georgia, July 28, 1836; 
served in the Confederate Army; married, in Emanuel County, Miss Mar¬ 
garet Elizabeth McArthur (born July 25, 1845—died December 18, 1932 
Atlanta; buried at Tifton). To John and Margaret were born two daughters, 
Ida, and Sadie (born July 4, 1872). 

Captain Phillips had made his fortune and had retired from business and 
his two daughters had graduated from Wesleyan, Macon, when he and Mrs. 
Phillips and Ida and Sadie came to Tifton, in the fall of 1889. He made 
large investments here, where he bought land and erected Tifton’s first ho¬ 
tel of considerable size. This large hotel was in process of erection on the 
site now occupied by the Myon Hotel, when Sadie, about seventeen years 
old, was stricken with typhoid fever. She died on Christmas Eve, 1889, only 
a few months after her family had moved to Tifton. Sadie was buried at 
Tifton. 

The new hotel was completed, and Captain Phillips called it “The Sadie 
Hotel,” for his beloved daughter. This structure became famous in the 
social life of early Tifton. 

The Phillips had an apartment at the Sadie and for a short time lived 
there, but they never operated the hotel, but leased it to I. J. Clements. Cap¬ 
tain Phillips built and moved his family into the large frame house now 
called the Julian Apartments, at northwest corner of Central Avenue at 
Second Street. Next door to this house was the Methodist parsonage, occu¬ 
pied by the Reverend C. E. Crawley, pastor of the First Methodist Church. 
The parsonage burned and the lot on which it stood and the adjoining lot 
were bought by Captain Phillips and Jacob Marion Paulk, the Methodists 
buying a lot in the next block and erecting thereon a large two story house. 

The Tifton Gazette on May 10, 1895 carried the following item; “Capt. 
John A. Phillips lost one of his cottages at Phillipsburg by fire early Wed¬ 
nesday morning. It was occupied by a family of negroes.” 

After living in Tifton only a few years, Captain Phillips sold his interests 
here and he, Mrs. Phillips, and Ida moved to Fitzgerald. He sold the Sadie 
to W. W. Timmons; he sold his large new home to Dr. George Julian, who 
made it his home until his death; he sold to J. M. Paulk his interest in the 
lots they had bought from the Methodists. Paulk built on these lots two 


444 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


homes the second of which he and his bride occupied, and in which Mrs. 
Paulk lived until her death in 1947. 

Mrs. Irvine Myers later owned both the hotel site and one of the Paulk 
built houses. The Sadie burned in 1904 and was replaced by the Myon. 
Phillips was active in the founding of Fitzgerald where he remained until 
his death from a stroke of paralysis. He had first suffered a stroke in 1903, 
and had apparently recovered when he was again stricken on May 27, Satur¬ 
day, 1905. He never rallied. Death came on Sunday evening at eight o’clock, 
at the home of his daughter and her husband, J. H. Harris, in Fitzgerald. 

The body of Captain Phillips was brought to Tifton on a special train 
Wednesday morning. It is said that nearly half the population of Tifton 
joined in the procession to the Tifton cemetery where Captain Phillips was 
laid to rest beside his beloved daughter, Sadie. 

Later Ida’s husband was killed by a truck, in Fitzgerald. Following his 
death she and her children and her widowed mother moved to College Park. 
Mrs. Phillips died in Atlanta; and Mrs. Harris died in or about the year 
1945. 

Of Captain Phillips the Tifton Gazette in issue of June 3, 1905, wrote, in 
his obituary: “He was one of the first heavy investors in Tifton in the early 
days of its growth, and also one of the founders of Fitzgerald, to which city 
he contributed much of its growth.” 

P. D. PHILLIPS 

P. D. Phillips was born in Calhoun County, Alabama, in 1860. He was 
son of a physician who, in 1873, moved his family to Louisiana. In August 
of the next year both P. D.’s parents died. In October an uncle came from 
North Alabama to Louisiana for P. D. and his brother, J. J. L., and the two 
other children and carried them back to his Alabama farm where he taught 
them to work. They attended an Old Field School for several weeks each 
year. 

By hard work and economy young P. D. saved a little money and, when 
twenty-one years old, went to Texas where for $500.00 he purchased a half 
interest in a sawmill—the beginning of his sawmill activities. 

In the fall of 1890 P. D. Phillips married his first cousin, Miss Willie 
Phillips, of Jacksonville, Ala. Of this union were four children; Joe, Clar¬ 
ence, Charles, Mary Lou. 

Three years after his marriage P. D. and J. J. L. Phillips began sawing 
lumber with a small mill near Chula. About 1901 the Phillips brothers began 
operating a much larger mill at Eldorado. After a period of joint operation 
P. D. bought out J. J. L.’s interest, J. J. L. moved to Tifton and P. D. and 
his famiy continued in Eldorado, where P. D. operated the mill. 

In 1909 P. D. was a member of Tift County’s first Board of Education. 
Chairman of the board was Briggs Carson, and other members were W. R. 
Smith, Dr. B. F. Pickett, G. W. Crum, and J. N. Horne. Of Mr. Phillips the 
Tifton Gazette wrote at that time, “As a member of the Board of Education 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


445 


he has always been punctual, and his judgment, dispatch, and business ability 
have been recognized from the start. 

“As a citizen he has been a firm friend of education and extremely gener¬ 
ous to the church, the school, and to the Children’s Home. Like other mem¬ 
bers of the Board of Education he takes great interest in agriculture and 
has demonstrated that two bales of cotton per acre can be raised on Tift 
County soil.” 

During that year, 1909, Mr. Phillips was still operating the Eldorado mill, 
he was president of the State Mutual Insurance Company, was president of 
the Phillips Lumber Company, was a director of the Bank of Tifton, a 
stockholder in various other Tifton enterprises, besides owning valuable real 
estate in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. 

From Eldorado Mr. and Mrs. P. D. Phillips moved to Thomasville, where 
Mrs. Phillips still lives. P. D. died about two years ago. 

THURSTON ELILIS PHILLIPS 

Thurston Ellis Phillips, one of several children of Ellis and Elizabeth 
Lansdell Phillips, of Columbia County, Georgia, was born in Columbia Coun¬ 
ty, October 4, 1868 and spent his boyhood on his father’s large Columbia 
County plantation, not far from Augusta. 

Aftar having finished his school in the educational institutions of the com¬ 
munity, young Thurston, at the age of twenty-one, acquired a portable saw¬ 
mill and began sawmill activities, first in Columbia County, and later in 
Burke, Jefferson, Johnson and other Georgia counties and in Edgefield 
County, South, Garolina. It was his wont to stay in one location for a fort¬ 
night or for several weeks and then move on to another. 

At Darien, Georgia, February 8, 1898, Thurston Ellis Phillips was united 
in marriage with Mary D. Chappellear, an orphan, daughter of Reuben and 
Mozelle Patterson Chappellear, of Jefferson County. Miss Chappellear was, 
at the time of her marriage, living with a sister, Mrs. Robert E. Printup, in 
Darien. Of this marriage were four children, Mattie Lou, Ida, May, T. E. 
Jr., Mary. 

Mr. Phillips bought land at Eldorado in what was then Berrien but now is 
Tift County. On January 1, 1900 he established there a sawmill and he also 
engaged on a large scale in the turpentine industry. Also he engaged in 
farming and increased his land holdings until he owned six thousand acres 
and was operating sixty-five plows. 

The Phillips family remained at Eldorado for fourteen years and then, in 
order to avail themselves of better schools for the children, Mr. Phillips 
moved his family to Tifton where he built for their occupancy a large brick 
house at 410 Park Avenue, North, which is still the Phillips home. 

In Tifton, Thurston Phillips took an active part in all worthwhile com¬ 
munity projects. In 1916 he was elected to Tifton City Council, on which 
he served for about eight years. For about six years he was on the school 
board. He served as chairman of Tift County’s first Board of County Com¬ 
missioners, was off the board for a year, then returned and served as chair- 


446 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


man for two terms, during which time, through his influence, the county’s 
first concrete bridges were built. One was built over Little River and there 
were numerous smaller ones built. From 1927 to 1931 T. E. Phillips ably rep¬ 
resented Tift County, for three terms, in the state legislature. 

Walter G. Cooper, writing of Mr. Phillips in his “Story of Georgia,” 
credits him with always standing for progress, and always being interested 
in economy and efficiency of government, striving to ease the taxpayers’ 
burden and seeing that the taxpayer received a full measure of benefit for 
money expended. 

Mr. Phillips is a director of the Bank of Tifton, of the Tifton Investment 
Company and of the Farmers’ Bank of Tifton. 

In partnership with Holmes Murray, Mr. Phillips operated for many years 
a grist mill at Tifton. Later he owned it outright, and still later in 1945 
when the mill was incorporated he retained one-third interest and became 
president of the corporation. 

Mr. Phillips is a deacon for life of the First Baptist Church, Tifton. 

On October 6, 1938, Mary Chappellear Phillips died, at Tifton, where she 
is buried. 

After six years, T. E. Phillips married again. His bride was Miss Sarah 
Dunbar, of Tifton, daughter of William Allen Dunbar and Emily Wright 
Dunbar, both deceased, of Dunbar, Georgia. The ceremony was performed at 
Druid Hills Baptist Church, Atlanta. 

Re children of Thurston and Mary Chappellelar Phillips: 

Mattie Lou attended Bessie Tift College for three years, and studied in 
Chicago one year. She married Dr. Earl Kilpatrick Lazenby, of Fayette¬ 
ville, North Carolina. They have one daughter, Martha. 

Ida May Phillips graduated from Bessie Tift College. She married Mal¬ 
colm Kirk Smith. They have one daughter, Siska. They live in Jacksonville, 
Florida. 

Thurston Ellis Phillips, Jr., married Vera Sport, a young woman of ex¬ 
ceptional beauty and sweetness. They live in Tifton. 

Mary Phillips graduated from Queens College. She was president of the 
Phi Mu Chapter there. She lives in North Carolina where, during World 
War II, she was with the American Red Cross. 

FLORENCE WILLINGHAM PICKARD 

Florence Martha Willingham was the daughter of Thomas Henry Wil¬ 
lingham and Cecilia Baynard Willingham. She was born on Thomas’s large 
South Carolina plantation, “Smyrna,” near Old Allendale, March 7, 1862. 
When still very young she refugeed with her family from Smyrna to a Mitch¬ 
ell County, Georgia, plantation which Thomas owned. After a short resi¬ 
dence there the family moved to the “Yancey Place” about four miles from 
Albany. On this large plantation which Thomas owned and where the Wil¬ 
lingham family lived for many years, was beautiful Blue Springs, deep, clear 
and blue. It is now famous as Radium Springs. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


447 


Florie and Bess, when Florie was not more than twelve, were sent to 
Wesleyan College, where both were Adelphians. Later Florie attended a 
private school taught by Miss Sallie Reynolds in Albany, and Bess went to 
Monroe Female College in Forsyth, Georgia. The Willinghams have moved 
into Albany. 

After Bess had graduated it was Florie’s turn to go away to school; for 
of the seventeen Willingham children fourteen reached maturity and all 
fourteen were college students, and most of them graduated from college, 
and with honors. Florie went to Woman’s College, Richmond, Virginia. She 
had loved art since childhood and while at Richmond she learned that at 
nearby Staunton Female Seminary was a very fine art teacher, Madam 
Garcia, a Parisian. Florie at the next term entered Staunton, of which Miss 
Mary Baldwin was at that time principal and for whom the college was 
later named. Florie studied there several years and received the highest 
honor in art. 

Returning to Albany, Florie continued her painting and also conducted a 
private school of which she was principal and whose clientile were the 
elite of Albany. 

Florie during vacations did much visiting to her older sisters and other 
relatives. While visiting her sister, Sallie, Mrs. Ed Bacon, in Eastman, Dodge 
County, she met a young divinity student from Mercer University. He was 
preaching at the Baptist Church of Eastman, His name was William Lowndes 
Yancey Pickard, of Upson County, Georgia. Later Will roomed at Mercer 
with Florie’s brother, Winnie Joe. When Florie would visit her brother, 
Thomas, and his wife in Macon, Will would come with Winnie to see Florie. 
Thus the acquaintance ripened into friendship and later they became en¬ 
gaged. They were married at Albany, June 15, 1886. 

Meanwhile, Florie nearly went blind. She had had to give up her school 
and also had to give up her painting. Her sister, Bessie, had to read her 
love letters to her and to write the answers too; but after Bess married 
Henry Tift and went to Tifton to live Florie did her own reading and writ¬ 
ing, her eyes were by that time stronger. 

To Will she bore four children, Julia, Florence, William L., Jr., and Eliza¬ 
beth Belle, born after the death of the beloved only son, Will’s namesake, 
who died of diphetheria when five years old, while Will was pastor of the 
Broadway Baptist Church, Louisville. All of the family found the Kentucky 
winters bitter and Florie and the children would come to Tifton and spend 
the coldest months, either with her sister, Bessie Tift, or with Will’s brother, 
J. L. Pickard and his wife, Cornelia. This continued when Dr. Pickard went 
to the Cleveland Church, where he remained for nearly five years. So it was 
over a long period of years that the W. L. Pickards spent their winters in 
Tifton. The little girls would study out of the Cleveland school books, and be 
tutored by Tifton teachers, and send their exercises back to the Cleveland 
schools, where they never missed a grade. Julia studied Greek under W. L. 
Harman. 

During 1905 when making their home in Lynchburg, Virginia, Florie went 


448 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


with Will to the First Baptist World’s Alliance, which met in London. 
Bessie Tift went with them and after the convention the three toured Europe. 
At Paris Bessie bought a pearl hair ornament and crowned Florie. That night 
Florie had a dream which she later, after her return to America, transferred 
to canvas; for her eyesight had so improved that after eighteen years of not 
painting she had resumed her well-loved art, in which she achieved ex¬ 
traordinary success, and much renown. She also wrote five books, three of 
which were published during her lifetime. The other two have never been 
published. The three published books were: “The Ides of March,” pub¬ 
lished in 1901; “Between Scarlet Thrones,” published in 1919; “In The 
Palace of Amuhai,” published in 1926 . 

In 1914 Florie moved with Will to Macon where he was president of Mer¬ 
cer University during World War I. There she was a member of the First 
Baptist Church. She took great interest in the life of the college, as she al¬ 
ways did in all of her husband’s work. She was a charter member and honor¬ 
ary member of the Macon Writers’ Club, founded in 1915, by her Albany 
schoolgirl friend, Willie Oliver Moore. After Dr. Pickard resigned as presi¬ 
dent of Mercer he became pastor of the Central Baptist Church in Chatta¬ 
nooga, Tennessee, and there Florie lived seven happy years. She loved Chat¬ 
tanooga. Her children being grown, she had more leisure, than when they 
were young, and she was greatly beloved in the clubs in which she enjoyed 
membership: the Chattanooga Writers’ Club, The Tennessee Writers’ Club, 
the Chattanooga Chapter of the National Pen Woman’s League, the Ki- 
wanis Auxiliary, of which she was chaplain. In Chattanooga, as in all of 
Will’s churches, she took an active part in the church work, and she had 
the gift of endearing her associates to her so that she received from them 
cooperation in whatever was undertaken. She would gather the women of 
the church together and they would sew for the poor, or would make gay 
quilts, which they would sell, and the proceeds from which would be given 
to missions. Her especial concern was the aged of the church and she often 
planned gay parties for their pleasure, and they were very brilliant, beautiful 
parties, into the spirit of which the younger women would enter with great 
-enthusiasm and interest; and the happiness of the aged “Mothers in Israel” 
was compensation enough for all the trouble. 

In 1925 Will’s health began to fail, so that doctors said he must take life 
quietly or he could not live long. Florie’s sister, dear Bessie Tift, told Florie 
that if she and Will would come to Tifton to live she would give them a house. 
They did and she did—415 Park Avenue, which was their home for the next 
five happy, brief years which soon had sped by. There Florie died, Decem¬ 
ber 2, 1930. 

Florie’s body was taken to the First Baptist Church of Tifton, then to 
Albany, where a brief service was held in the Albany Baptist Church, before 
she . was laid to rest beside her only son, William L. Pickard, Jr., in the 
Albany cemetery. 

Both Will and Florie were survived by all three of their daughters: 

Julia Baynard Pickard, married Ralph Edward Bailey. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


449 


Florence Martha Pickard, married Leverett Roland Harrison. 

Elizabeth Belle Pickard, married Paul Daggett Karsten. (See Wire Grass 
Journalism chapter.) 

For sketches of Julia and Florence Pickard, see elsewhere this chapter. 
Elizabeth Pickard is the writer of the bigrophical sketches of the Tift 
County Pioneers contained in this book, except those designated as being the 
work of other writers. 



WILLIAM LOWNDES YANCEY PICKARD 

William L. Yancey Pickard, third son of James LaFayette Pickard and 
Anne Hasseltine Ross Pickard, was born in Upson County, Georgia, October 
19, 1861. 

James LaFayette Pickard was a planter of Upson County. He was son 
of Robert Micajah Pickard and his wife, Sarah Barksdale, daughter of 
William Barksdale, of English descent, who lived in Sparta, Georgia, and 
is buried in Pine Bluff Cemetery, east of Albany. The Yancey Place, where 
Florie Willingham, whom W. L. Y. Pickard married, spent her childhood, 
was owned by a Mr. Barksdale prior to its being owned b'y Thomas Willing¬ 
ham, Florie’s father. Florie and Bessie (Willingham) Tift were sisters. 
The Barkdales are a distinguished family in and around Wilkes County, 
Georgia. They came from Abbeville District, South Carolina, and previ¬ 
ously were from Albemarle or Hanover County, Virginia. 

Anne Hasseltine Ross Pickard was daughter of the Reverend John Ross 
II (born Virginia, 1781; ordained to Baptist ministry, 1816; died June 17, 
1837, Georgia), who came from Virginia to Columbia County, Georgia, 



450 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


1798. A clergyman of note, John Ross was, at the convention meeting in 
Talbotton, in 1836, a strong advocate of the Baptist establishment of Mer¬ 
cer University. He also attended a ministers meeting in July following, 
at Forsyth where he was instrumental in accomplishing much good. Of 
John Ross was written, “His preaching talents were of a very respectable 
order, and he began exercising them about 1816.” A sketch of the life of 
John Ross may be found in Jesse Campbell’s “Georgia Baptists,” published 
by H. K. Ellyson, Richmond, 1847; also in “History of Georgia Baptists,” 
compiled for Christian Index, 1881. Anne’s mother was Charity Mitchell, 
second wife of John Ross. After John’s death, Charity married Captain 
Thomas Hall. Charity is buried on the Ross lot in Fort Valle'y. 

James LaFayette Pickard was a soldier of the Confederacy. He died from 
exposure upon field of battle whither he had gone when still ill of measles 
of which there had been many cases in camp. He died at the Confederate 
Hospital which stood where the Hotel DeSoto, Savannah, now stands. James 
LaFayette Pickard was of the 32d Georgia Regiment. 

After J. L. Pickard’s death, Anne, left a widow with six children, married 
again. This marriage had the result of bringing it about that the children 
of her first marriage were reared in various homes by different of her own 
and her first husband’s relatives. The Pickard children seldom saw their 
mother again. 

William L. Y. Pickard, who was named for the great statesman, William 
L. Yancey, declared in after life that his earliest recollection was that of 
his father’s funeral. His older brother, J. L., believed that he was too young 
at the time for him to remember—that he must have confused it with some 
decoration of the grave at some subsequent time. Howbeit, William and the 
eldest brother, John Pickard, made their home with their father’s sister 
and her husband, James Pound, a scholarly planter, of near Talbotton, 
Georgia. Gifted as an educator, James taught Will, his own son Jerre 
Pound, and a neighbor lad, Charles Jenkins, and another neighbor’s boy. Of 
these Charles Jenkins became president of Wesle’yan College, Jerre Pound 
became president of Georgia Normal College, at Athens, and William L. 
Pickard became president of Mercer University. The fourth lad became 
an eminent ear, eye, nose and throat specialist of Atlanta. 

From the age of twelve Will Pickard supported himself, working at first 
for his uncle, James Pound. He plowed and did other plantation work. As 
a reward for some of his labor Mr. Pound offered to give him a fine horse, 
bridle and saddle. Will asked that instead he might have the equivalent in 
money that he might have it as part of his college expenses, which was 
granted. He went first to celebrated College Temple, at Newnan, a famous 
school in its day, though now no longer existing. Most of its students were 
girls, but a few boys were there. Miss Annie Belle Clarke and an older 
sister were College Temple pupils, and the sister was there when Will 
Pickard was a student there. 

From College Temple Will went to Mercer where he graduated with 
the A.B. degree in 1884. While there, he had been, in 1883, ordained to the 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


451 


Baptist ministry, the ordination service being at the First Baptist Church 
of Macon. Will received his M.A. degree from Mercer in 1885 and in June 
of that year, at the First Baptist Church of Albany, he was married to 
Florence Martha Willingham, daughter of Thomas Henry Willingham and 
Cecilia Baynard Willingham. 

While attending Mercer, Will preached at Thomaston, Georgia, on Sun¬ 
days. From Mercer he went to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary 
at Louisville, Kentucky, where he graduated in 1887. Other pastorates 
were: El Creek, and Normandy, Kentucky, while at the seminary; First 
Baptist Church, Eufaula, Alabama, 1887-1888; First Baptist Church, Bir¬ 
mingham, 1889-93; Broadway Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky, 1894- 
1898; First Baptist Church, Cleveland, Ohio, 1899-1902; First Baptist 
Church, Lynchburg, Virginia, 1903-07; Savannah Baptist Church, 1907-14; 
Central Baptist Church, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1919-1926. 

Between the Louisville and Cleveland pastorates Pickard went to Chicago 
as professor of New Testament Greek, at the Moody Bible Institute, where 
he went at invitation of Dr. Dwight Moody. Soon after Dr. Pickard went 
to the Institute, Dr. Moody died. Temporarily the institution ceased to r func¬ 
tion on the old schedule, and in that period the Cleveland church called Dr. 
Pickard and he accepted the call. 

After the Savannah Pastorate, Dr. Pickard went to Macon as president 

Mr. and Mrs. Harrison have recently celebrated their thirty-third wed¬ 
ding anniversary. 

Mrs. Harrison is the original of the girl in two of her mother’s wellknown 
paintings, “Choosing the Crown,” and “The Chosen Crown,” the latter paint¬ 
ing is in Tifton. 


JAMES LaFAYETTE PICKARD 


James LaFayette Pickard, Jr., son of James LaFa'yette Pickard and 
Anne Hasseltine Ross Pickard, of Upson County, Georgia, was born De¬ 
cember 12, 1858. His mother’s father was a well known Baptist preacher, 
the Reverend John Ross. James LaFayette, Sr., a soldier of the Confederacy, 
died at Confederate hospital at Savannah, during the War Between the 
States. After Anne’s second marriage, James, Jr. was reared by a kinsman, 
a Mr. Willis. 

James LaFayette Pickard married Victoria Thornton and to them were 
born four children, Novella (married Dr. Sam T. Vann), Lenwood, Willie, 
who was a little girl who was fatally burned during infancy, and Arlene 
(1891-1897). The Pickards lived for a time at Woodbury. 

After Victoria’s death James married Victoria’s sister, Cornelia Thorn¬ 
ton. They lived for about a 'year in Maitland, Florida, where Cornelia’s 
family lived. Victoria and Cornelia were daughters of Seaborn Thornton, 
originally of Meriwether. 

After the great freeze in Florida, J. L. Pickard and Cornelia moved to 
Tifton, in 1896. Here were born to them three children, Cornelia (married 


452 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Newton Dorsett), James LaFayette Pickard III (now of Miami), and Ralph 
Pickard (now of St. Petersburg). 

In Tifton Mr. Pickard worked for H. H. Tift as manager of the Tift 
Commissary. This position he held for a long period of years, until the 
commissary closed with the closing of the mill. He then for a time had 
a grocery store of his own, and for a time he served as postmaster at Tifton. 

The Pickards lived on Second Street next door to the H. H. Tifts. At 
first they occupied a house which formerly stood between the corner lot 
and the Tift home, and later the'y were the first occupants of the house 
which has recently been moved from the corner of Second Street and Tift 
Avenue. They occupied one apartment in the house, and a smaller apart¬ 
ment was occupied by Florie Pickard and her children, the wife and children 
of Dr. W. L. Pickard, Jimmy’s brother. Florie was Bessie Tift’s sister and 
in the early days of Tifton when she lived in the North she spent her win¬ 
ters in Tifton. James Pickard, called by everyone “Uncle Jimmy,” loved 
roses and his garden contained many ver'y fine specimens with which he 
was most generous. 

J. L. Pickard was possessed of an exceptionally fine bass voice, and he 
had taught singing, and he had a gift for leading singing. He was instru¬ 
mental in the formation of the Tift County Singing Convention and he 
served on its advisory board, and was in 1921 elected vice-president. He 
often was song leader at its conventions, and also he was much in demand 
as a song leader at many different churches, especially the country church¬ 
es of Tift County. 

J. L. Pickard was delegated to visit Governor Joseph M. Terrell in be¬ 
half of the establishment of an agricultural and mechanical school at Tifton. 
In this project he was successful and the Second District A. and M. School, 
the beginning of what is now Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, was 
established at Tifton in 1908. This was secured to Tifton largely through 
the personal generosity of Henry Harding Tift, who gave large acreage of 
land and money to the school. James LaFayette Pickard served as the 
school’s first trustee from Tift County, and he held the trusteeship for 
many years. 

J. L. Pickard, and his younger brother, Dr. W. L. Pickard, whom he 
called “Little Bud” were great fishermen and W. L. tried to get to Tifton 
for a visit to Jimmie at least once each year even when he lived in other 
and distant states. Both of them were fine marksmen and they loved and 
owned some very fine bird dogs, notably an English Setter, Maude, and 
English Setter, Sport, son of Maude. Also, J. L. had a white and lemon 
pointer, Hal. 

James L. Pickard was a man of sterling integrity of character. He was 
possessed of a sparkling wit and a keen humor, and he was kind and loved 
people; and everybody loved “Uncle Jimmy.” 

James LaFayette Pickard died in Tifton, May 13, 1927. Burial was in 
Tifton cemetery. His widow now lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

Lenwood Pickard, eldest son of James LaFalette Pickard, was born at 
Woodbury, Georgia, July 8, 1883; attended Southern Shorthand Business 
College, Atlanta; was in World War I, in Service Park Unit No. 384. He 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


453 


moved to Tifton from Florida in 1896. He has held high office in the Tifton 
Chapter of the Masonic Order and at the Masonic Convention at Macon 
was consecrated to the High Priesthood, April 26, 1939. 

JOHN MILTON PRICE 
TIFTON FAIRY TALE 

Once upon a time there lived a couple whose names were John and Minerva 
Emerson Price. They had two children. The girl, Luc'y, grew up and mar¬ 
ried Mr. Kilby. The boy, born September 14, 1858, was named John 
Milton Price. 

When John Milton Price was a small boy his father died. Young John 
assumed the responsibility of earning a living for the family. However, 
he loved learning, and eagerly attended the country schools for the three 
months’ term each year. 

When John was twenty-one ’years old he gathered his belongings and, 
tying them in a bandana handkerchief, he took them with him and walked 
forty miles to Dahlonega. 

Arrived there, John contacted the president of the college. That gen¬ 
tleman discouraged John’s entrance, but John, after much persuasion, suc¬ 
ceeded in being permitted to remain for a try-out. 

After a few weeks John received an invitation from the president to come 
to his rooms nights so that he could help him with his studies. John was 
overjoyed. Later he graduated with honors. 

Next John studied at Augusta, where he received his medical degree from 
the Augusta Medical College. 

Young Dr. John Milton Price opened his first office in Orange, Georgia. 
Also he was physician to the Franklin Gold Mines, in Creighton, Georgia. 
Later he moved to Canton, Georgia, where he practiced medicine for several 
years and was prominent in both civic and professional life. He was presi¬ 
dent of the Medical Society there. 

Dr. John Pirce married a young woman named Georgia Archer. They had 
two little daughters, Jene and Rebecca, who were their jo'y. 

One day Dr. Price visited Tifton. He was delighted with the place. He 
called it, “The Garden Spot.” Soon he moved him family there and there 
they lived happily ever after, until September 17, 1941 when Dr. Price 
died, but not until after celebrating his eighty-third birthday. 

Dr. and Mrs. Price’s little girls grew up and married and they still live 
in Tifton. They had a flower shop where they had so man'y beautiful flowers 
that seeing them reminded one of Dr. Price’s words: “Tifton is the Garden 
Spot.” Perhaps some day the’y will call the flower store “The Garden Spot.” 

S. G. SLACK 

S. G. Slack, born about 1854, was one of seven brothers born to English 
parents who came from England to Canada and settled in Ontario. S. G. 
came to Tifton in the early 1890’s; a brother, Ernest Edward, soon followed 


454 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


and settled in Tifton. Another brother settled in Alabama. The others re¬ 
mained in Canada. 

As early as 1893 S. G. was already a well known and highly revered 
citizen of Tifton. A builder and contractor, he had established a reputation 
for doing high quality work. The houses he built were good houses and 
are toda'y some of the best houses in Tifton. Among these is the Carson 
home, built by Slack for Elias Vickers at 315 W. Sixth Street. Slack loved 
good lumber and good workmanship, and it is told of him that one day 
when he stood in the door way of the Carson house he ran his hand over 
the beautiful carving of the woodwork and it was almost as though it were 
a caress. 

Also from Canada was Tifton’s first contractor, John C. Hind, to whom 
was issued the first contractor’s license in Tifton, 1891. 

In the spring of 1893 H. H. Tift, E. P. Bowen and S. G. Slack and others 
formed a stock company and built and operated a canning factory in Tifton. 
The building was begun on April 15. By May 15 the factory was in full 
operation. With a capacity of ten thousand cans a day, they employed one 
hundred and twenty hands during the busy season. The first season they 
canned peaches, pears, tomatoes. In 1895 they canned strawberries, dew¬ 
berries, peaches, pears, okra, English peas, wax beans, sweet potatoes. 
With great success they shipped “all over the country.” 

In 1895 Mr. Slack completed erection of a ten thousand dollar church 
in Valdosta. Also, he was in August awarded contract for the inside work 
of a church erected in Quitman. That same year he opened in Tifton a 
hardware store which for many years was the leading hardware firm of 
the community. An advertisement of May 5, 1905 indicates that at that 
time the members of the firm were S. G. Slack, J. J. L. Phillips, A. B. 
Hollingsworth, E. E. Slack. 

Early in the twentieth century S. G. Slack became interested in Tifton 
city politics. He was elected alderman to serve for two years, beginning 
1902. Others elected to serve for the same period were H. H. Tift and E. P. 
Bowen. F. G. Boatright was mayor. Slack was at once placed upon various 
committees. With E. P. Bowen and W. T. Hargrett he served on the com¬ 
mittee on streets. With J. M. Paulk and E. P. Bowen he served on the 
committee on accounts. He was on the committee of appraisers. S. G. Slack 
was on the Board of Aldermen when that body voted to accept the proposi¬ 
tion of B. M. Griffin to “light the streets.” Also when it voted to purchase 
from H. H. Tift a site for a school. The old school was located on the site 
of what is now that of the Primitive Baptist Church. 

Slack continued to serve in 1903 under Mayor Boatright. He, Mr. Boat- 
right, W. W. Timmons and E. P. Bowen were present at a call meeting of 
the council for the purpose of appointing managers and clerks to conduct 
the election of Judge and Solicitor of the City Court of Tifton. Appointed 
so to act as election managers were 0. L. Chesnutt, J. P., T. J. Parker, 
J. K. Carswell. W. W. Webb, T. E. Phillips, S. S. Monk, William Whiddon 
and E. R. Gaulding were alternates. As a result of the election F. G. Boat- 
right was elected judge and C. C. Hall solicitor. An offer of H. H. Tift to 
provide court room quarters at $17.00 per month was declined, and an 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


455 


offer of E. P. Bowen to provide them for $100.00 per year was accepted. 
Kent’s offer to furnish the room was declined and that of F. C. Dynes was 
accepted. 

In April of 1903 S. G. Slack was on a committee to arrange for a city 
engineer to make a map of the city. That same year, Mr. Slack, Briggs 
Carson and W. W. Timmons were tax assessors. 

W. W. Timmons was mayor of Tifton in 1904 and councilmen elected to 
serve with him were S. G. Slack, H. H. Tift and E. P. Bowen. When W. W. 
Timmons resigned his place on council in order to become eligible as a 
candidate for mayor, J. J. Golden was elected to fill his unexpired term. 
This was on November 28, 1903. 

Slack continued to serve on council in 1905 when Timmons was again 
mayor, and Slack served as councilman when Sam M. Clyatt became mayor 
in 1906. In 1906 S. G. Slack, J. J. Golden, Dr. N. Peterson were appointed 
by Mayor Clyatt to compile a sanitary code for the city. Slack, E. P. Bowen 
and J. J. Golden were appointed to draft a Tifton curfew ordinance. On 
November 6, 1905, Mr. Slack was on a committee which ordered an election 
held for bonds for water works and a school building. Bonds were voted. 

In September of 1906 S. G. Slack, John Murrow, T. E. Phillips, J. A. 
Warren, H. H. Tift, J. J. Golden were appointed by Ordinary W. S. Walker 
to constitute an advisory board with the ordinary in selecting plans, making 
contract, and superintending the building of a courthouse. Mr. Slack con¬ 
tinued to serve on various committees of city council for a great many 
years. In 1907 he, with H. H. Tift, favored passage of a cow ordinance but 
it failed of passage. 

At a meeting at seven P. M. Tuesday, October 29, 1907, a volunteer fire 
department was organized in Tifton. S. G. Slack was chief of the depart¬ 
ment, which was divided into two companies. Captain of Company Number 
1 was W. H. Spooner. Captain of Company Number 2 was L. Mask. Mem¬ 
bers of Company Number 1 were: W. H. Spooner, Capt., Z. T. Brown, A. 
C. Soule, B. J. Booth, R. S. Short, H. H. Tift, Jr., W. R. Walton, R. H. 
Murrow, W. H. Graham, J. B. Greene, W. N. Camp. Members of Company 
Number 2 were: Capt. L. Mask, C. B. Grugger, J. A. Ryals, J. L. Williams, 
G. B. Courtney, H. C. Carmichael, P. H. O’Quinn, D. L. Swindle, W. H. 
McClellan, T. J. Welch, W. P. Stipes. 

Later S. G. Slack moved from Tifton to Union City where he made his 
home for many years and until his death there on Wednesday, October 23, 
1940, at the age of eighty-six years. Funeral services and burial were at 
Union City on the Friday next. 

S. G. Slack was survived by his widow, who has since then died, and 
by the following children: Mrs. Faust Dewitt, of Elkton, Md.; Mary Belle 
(Mrs. S. R. Smith) of Union City; Harry Slack of Boston, Georgia; Willard 
Slack, of Rome. Also surviving was one brother, Jule Slack, of Hagersville, 
Ontario, Canada. 

A son, Lawrence Slack, who was very popular in Tifton, died in 1931, 
unmarried. 

Ernest Edward Slack, brother of S. G., was born in Canada, came to 


456 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Tifton and spent the rest of his life here, where he died and is buried. 
Children of E. E. Slack are Eugene Slack, of Tifton, and Dorothy Slack, 
who was clerk of Tift County Draft Board during World War II. 

JASON SCARBORO 

Jason Scarboro, son of Absolom and Demarius Scarboro, was born in 
Bulloch County, Georgia, May 5, 1860. He came to Tifton from Moultrie. 

Although Lucian Lamar Knight states that Jason Scarboro was head of 
Tifton’s first high school in 1888, it appears that this must be a misprint, 
for it appears from local records that Mr. Scarboro came here at a later 
date. In 1902 he was head of Tifton schools which had an enrollment of 
273, with an average attendance for the fall term of 223. On December 
29, 1902 began the spring term for 1903. Professor Scarboro was principal 
and teachers were Misses Worrell, Smith, Ellis, Murray, Parham. In spring 
of 1906 the enrollment was the largest in the history of the school up to 
that time. Scarboro presented a commencement program in the new cotton 
warehouse “fitted up for the occasion.” On the program were Reverend 
Henry Miller, Essie McDuffie, Adelaide Hargrett, Annie Barnes, Reverend 
J. W. Domingos, who pronounced the benediction, and Willingham Tift, 
who spoke on “The Right Start.” The school was at this time housed in a 
small wooden building which stood where the Primitive Baptist Church 
now is. 

On June 12, 1906, an election was held to decide whether or not Tifton 
would have public schools. Raleigh Eve, S. S. Monk, were clerks of the 
election, and O. L. Chesnutt, J. P., E. B. O’Neal, and Willard Gaulding 
were managers. The vote for schools was unanimous, and a new school 
building was erected in Tifton and first occupied on January 14, 1907, when 
Sam Clyatt was mayor. Mr. Scrboro was principal at this time and this 
new building then erected was what is now the Tifton Grammar School. 

Mr. Scarboro was principal of schools here for many years, and was 
instrumental in securing the building of the present Tifton High School, 
but failing health prevented his continuing longer as school head. He owned 
a farm near Tifton, and he taught for a brief time in Adel, but was not 
physically equal to continuing the arduous duties of teaching, in which he 
had already served long, faithfully and efficiently. Hoping to improve his 
health, he went West, but there died, October 28, 1926. He was survived by 
his widow, a delightful and pious woman, who died in 1945 and is buried 
at Tifton. One son died in early boyhood. Surviving children are Effie Mae 
(Mrs. George Towns) of Long Island; Mary Belle (Mrs. Scott), of Tifton; 
Dr. Edwin Scarboro, of California. 

In January, 1923, Jason Scarboro was elected chairman of the Board of 
Trade. In July of the same 'year he was elected to serve on the executive 
committee of the Tift County Singing Convention for the following year. 
Also, that year he worked to keep the A. and M. School in Tifton and was 
chairman of a committee who drew a resolution against removal. Their 
efforts were successful. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


457 


MATTHEW SYLVESTER SHAW 

Matthew Sylvester Shaw, son of W. S. Shaw, was born in Berrien County, 
Georgia, October 24, 1873. He was in the mercantile business at Nashville, 
Gergia, and at Lenox, and then in the naval stores business at Crosland. 
About 1907 he moved to Tifton and while here engaged in the real estate 
business, especially pine lands. Also, from time to time he chartered a 
train and took large excursion parties on trips, and these excursions were 
a delightful feature of the lighter side of old Tifton. He was a great wit, 
and was always keeping his friends laughing by his humorous tales and 
quaint experiences. He was a great favorite with children and one tiny 
girl used to call him “Bess,” b'y which nickname he was long called by a 
large circle of devoted friends. 

Mr. Shaw married Miss Edna Cox, daughter of the Reverend W. F. Cox, 
of Omega, and Emma Royal Cox. Of this union were two sons, Roy and 
Fred. Fred, who attended Mercer and was a brilliant student, did much 
research for the Tift County Historical Society some years ago. He was 
assisted by Clem Carson, and their manuscript was one of the references 
used in the History of Tift County as written by Miss Ida Belle Williams, 
although she personally did much research in addition. Fred Shaw now 
teaches at the University of Miami. Clem Carson continues to live in Tifton 
where he is engaged in business. Fred and Clem were close friends when 
Fred lived in Tifton. 

M. S. Shaw died at his Tifton home, corner of Chesnut Avenue and 
Sixth Street, April 16, 1929. Funeral was at the Baptist Church and burial 
in the Tifton cemetery. 

Mrs. Shaw taught school in Tifton for many years. She was an excellent 
teacher, and was greatly beloved. She was found dead in her bed and it 
was believed she had died during her sleep. Her obituary was in the Tifton 
Gazette, issue of May 2, 1935. She was fifty-seven years old at the time of 
her death. Burial was in Tifton cemetery. Mrs. Pickens of Central Avenue, 
Tifton, is a sister of Mrs. Shaw. 


LUTHER SMITH SHEPHERD AND LARKIN G. MAYNARD 

Luther Smith Shepherd was born in Fayette County, Georgia, June 29, 
1855. At Senoia, Georgia, on January 27, of 1885 or 1887, he married Miss 
Callie Gaulding, one of twin daughters of Joe and Mary Gaulding, and 
granddaughter of Archibald Alexander Gaulding, eminent newspaper editor 
and lawyer of Atlanta, prior to the War Between the States. Callie and her 
twin sister, Donie, were born at Ellaville, Hamilton County, Florida, Jan¬ 
uary 23, 1865. Callie and Donie grew up in Pike County, Georgia. Donie 
married Larkin G. Maynard. 

When Luther and Callie Shepherd had been married about ten years they 
moved to Tifton, and there Messrs. Luther Smith Shepherd and Larkin G. 
Maynard went into business together and, as the firm of Shepherd and 
Maynard, did business for many years. Both families lived on Love Avenue. 

Mr. Maynard was a Tifton councilman in 1896, at which time F. G. 


458 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Boatright was mayor, and Holmes Murray was clerk and treasurer. Fellow 
councilmen were H. H. Tift, E. P. Bowen, W. W. Timmons, John A. Phillips, 
W. 0. Padrick. 

In 1926 Mr. Shepherd was stricken ill and he died on January 27, 1928, 
at his Love Avenue home in Tifton, on his wedding anniversary. 

Mrs. Shepherd, a conscientious Methodist, was a woman “of culture, re¬ 
finement, gentle and unassuming manner.” Hers was a large circle of 
friends. An article from her pen appeared in the March 21, 1930 issue of 
the Tifton Gazette. It was on orchids grown by Dr. Meade at Oveida. De¬ 
lightfully written, with graphic description and a light touch of humor, 
it indicates that the writer inherited some of the literary ability of her 
editor grandfather. At the time it was written Donie was visiting her 
daughter and her sister in Florida. She did not live much longer than a 
year afterward. She died Saturday night, June 27, 1931, at the Orange 
General Hospital, Orlando, Florida. Her body was brought to Tifton and 
funeral was from her Love Avenue home. At the time of the funeral her 
twin, Donie, lay ill in a hospital in Tampa, Florida. She, however, im¬ 
proved and lived until July 22, 1939. 

Luther Smith Shepherd and his wife, Callie, and Larkin G. Maynard 
and Callie’s twin, Donie, are buried on the same lot in Tifton cemetery. 
“They were together in life, and in death they were not separated.” 

GEORGE ALFRED BRANNON. SMITH 

George Alfred Brannon Smith, born at Columbus, Georgia, August 4, 
1857, was son of George Bartlett Smith of the Bartletts and Smiths of Con¬ 
necticut, and Laura Virginia Brannon, of Columbus, Georgia. George Bart¬ 
lett Smith’s family came to Columbus from Connecticut before the War 
Between the States. He graduated from Mercer with the A.B. degree and 
then went to Yale where he received his M.D. degree. Also he was a doctor 
of divinity. A great scholar, he spoke thirteen languages. At the time of 
his marriage he was cashier of a Columbus bank, but he resigned the bank 
position and later owned a drug store in Wetumka, Alabama, where he 
also was editor of a paper. He was editor of a Montgomery paper at one 
time. 

At the outbreak of the War Between the States Smith’s family returned 
to Connecticut but he entered the service of the Confederacy, and went into 
the army. His wife and children were living at his wife’s birthplace, a large 
and handsome Columbus house called the “Lion House,” because its en¬ 
trance was guarded by large carved stone lions. The Union soldiers seized 
the house as officers’ headquarters. Mrs. Smith locked herself and children 
in her room where she remained three days. When necessity drove her 
thence she was courteously treated by her uninvited guests. Her silver, 
which she had hidden in a secret passage under the house, was unmolested, 
and later was recovered safely. She sold her grand piano, sent the money 
to her husband, who, with it, paid for a substitute for military service and 
then became a secretary to Vice-President Jefferson Davis. 

The four children of the above mentioned union were George Alfred 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


459 


Brannon Smith, who was the eldest child, Freeman, Martin, and Jim. All 
except George grew up and died unmarried. 

George A. B. Smith attended a school of pharmacy in Atlanta. On Sep¬ 
tember 28, 1882, at the First Baptist Church at Wetumka, he married Lula 
E. Mann, daughter of Frances Marion Mann, who was second cousin of the 
renowned Horace Mann, for whom Horace Mann School was named, and 
governor of Massachusetts. 

After completing his pharmaceutical course, Dr. Smith lived for about 
three years in Columbus but then went to Macon where he was manager of 
the wholesale house of Lamar, Taylor and Riley. In Macon his daughter, 
Laura, was born. From Macon the Smiths went to Athens, where little Lula 
Belle Smith was born. Thence the family went to Brunswick where Dr. Smith 
was manager of Lloyd and Adams, later Smith and Adams. 

Dr. Smith was a very good druggist and it is said that he was the highest 
paid druggist in Georgia during his time. He came from Brunswick to 
Tifton in 1896. 

Upon coming to Tifton, Dr. Smith built a large brick store to house his 
drug business, and a large frame dwelling to house his family. The store 
was the Main Street store now occupied by Wright, and the house was the 
large edifice at the northwest corner of Central Avenue at Sixth Street, 
which now houses Miss Tucker’s business school. There for many years Dr. 
and Mrs. Smith and the two beautiful daughters, Laura and Lula Belle 
lived, and there were spent many happy da'ys, for the girls were winsome 
and unusually pretty; especially so was Laura. Both girls attended Wes- 
le'yan, at Macon. 

Dr. Smith looked upon his profession as a means of serving humanity 
and often he filled prescriptions for which he knew he would never be paid, 
and he did much charity work. He continued in the drug business in Tifton 
until 1906 when failure of his own health caused him to retire and seek 
improvement in the dry climate of Denver, Colorado. However, he was not 
successful in his search for health. In Denver he died, in 1908. His body 
was brought back to Tifton for burial and the large concourse of friends 
at the funeral service and at the grave attested the love and esteem in 
which he was held by this community. 

Not many months after Dr. Smith’s death, Lula Belle, at college, was 
stricken with typhoid fever and died. Mrs. Smith and Laura lived on at 
the Smith house for many years, and in 1918 Mrs. Smith built and moved 
into a brick bungalow next door, on Sixth Street. Laura was the first woman 
in Georgia to drive an automobile. The car was a big Rambler which her 
mother bought in 1908 from H. H. Tift, Jr., for $2,600. Mrs. Smith lived 
in the Sixth Street brick bungalow until her death in 1938. 

Laura Smith married the late Keith Carson, Tifton real estate man, and 
son of Capt. Joseph Carson, C. S. A., and Charlotte Carson. Of this union 
were two children, a son, who died in childhood, and a daughter, Laura 
Smith, who married Sam Chastain and lives at Palm Beach. The Chastains 
have one son. 

Laura Smith was by her second marriage Mrs. Edmund Walker. To 


460 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Laura and Edmund Walker of Madison, Georgia, was born a daughter, 
Lula. 

On September 12, 1945, at the First Baptist Church at Folkston, Georgia, 
Laura Smith was united in marriage with Judge Albert Gallatin Foster, 
of Madison. 


ROBLEY DUNGLISON SMITH 

Robley Dunglison Smith, Jr., was born in Knoxville, Crawford County, 
Georgia, August 3, 1882, son of Robley Dunglison Smith, Sr. (born and 
died in Crawford County, Georgia, at Knoxville), and Nancy Missouri Per¬ 
sons Smith (born Crawford County, died Tifton), daughter of Thomas 
Persons. Nancy was a kinswoman of William Pinkney Persons and John 
Thaddeous Persons, brothers who married respectively, Susan Pickard and 
Sarah Pickard, sisters of Dr. William Lowndes Pickard of Tifton. 

Robley Dunglison, in Tifton called “R. D.” was grandson of Dr. Smith 
who went to Jefferson Medical College and named his son for his former 
professor at the college, Dr. Robley Dungleson, who was physician to 
Thomas Jefferson. 

“R. D.” received his schooling at Knoxville, Georgia; received his bachelor 
of law degree from the University of Georgia in 1904, and on August 20, 
of that same year, he came to Tifton, where he has continued to practice 
law from the time of his arrival until the present. He was attorney for 
Tift County for about five years. Keen minded and popular, he has a large 
practice. 

In Senoia, April 28, 1907, R. D. Smith married Mary Carlton (died No¬ 
vember, 1934), daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Carlton, of Senoia. 

On March 28, 1936, R. D. Smith married Anna Hopkins, daughter of 
Judge W. H. Hopkins, of Thomasville. 

R. D. Smith had two sisters and three brothers, the late Dr. W. T. Smith 
and Howard Smith, both of Tifton, and Northrop Smith, of Macon. 


WILLIAM THOMAS SMITH 

William Thomas Smith, born March 5, 1876, in Crawford County, Geor¬ 
gia, was son of Robley Dunglison Smith, a Knoxville, Georgia, lawyer, and 
Nancy Missouri Persons Smith, daughter of Thomas Persons. Robert Dun¬ 
glison Smith was son of a physician who married a Pennsylvanian. W. T. 
spent his childhood in Knoxville, where he received his schooling pri#r to 
entering George Washington Medical School, at Washington, where he 
graduated in 1898. Thereafter he practiced medicine in Colloden, Georgia 
for one year and then went to Tallahassee, Florida, where he practiced 
medicine until he moved to Tifton in 1906. 

A young woman named Maude Burns came from Tennessee to Tift 
County to teach. Dr. William T. Smith and Miss Maude Burns were mar¬ 
ried at Columbia, Tennessee, December 29, 1909. 

During World War I, Dr. Smith, in 1917, entered the United States 
Medical Corps, in which he was first lieutenant. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


461 


After he returned from the war, Dr. Smith did post graduate work at 
Tulane University, where he specialized in ear, eye, nose and throat. Re- 
turing to Tifton he here practiced as a specialist until three days prior 
to his death at the Tift County Hospital, Saturday, at 1:15 A. M. Decem¬ 
ber 8, 1945. Burial was at Tifton. 

Dr. Smith was a member of the Tifton Methodist Church. He was a 
kind, cheerful man, who was highly esteemed and greatly beloved by a 
host of friends. He loved to fish, and went fishing on nearly every holiday. 

Children of Dr. W. T. Smith and Maude Burns Smith are: Maude Burns 
Smith (Mrs. H. E. Killian, of Anniston, Alabama); Katherine (Mrs. Dave 
Howard, of Atlanta) ; William T. Smith, Jr. 

Issue of Maude Burns Smith and Dr. H. E. Killian: Joyce and Claude 
Edward. Issue of Katherine Smith and Dave Howard: twins, Ann and 
David. Issue of Dr. William T. Smith, Jr., D.D.S., and Cecilia Travis Smith, 
daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Travis, of Savannah: Gordon Burns Smith 
and Bruce Smith. 

Dr. W. T. Smith had two sisters and three brothers. The brothers are: 
Robert D. Smith, Jr., Tifton lawyer, Howard Smith, of Tifton (who mar¬ 
ried a sister of Maude Burns) ; and Northrop Smith, of Macon, who mar¬ 
ried two Solomon sisters, the second wife being Elizabeth (Buff) Solomon, 
of Macon. Mr. and Mrs. Howard Smith have two sons, Howard Smith, Jr., 
and Robley Smith. 


WALTER CRAWFORD SPURLIN 

William Crawford Spurlin (born February 10, 1868, in Pulaski County, 
near Hawkinsville—died February 8, 1940, at Tifton; buried in Tifton cem¬ 
etery), was son of Frances Bateman Spurlin and William H. Spurlin, a 
farmer who also owned and conducted a livery stable and blacksmith shop. 
When little William C. was about one 'year old his mother died. He was 
therefore reared by his older sister, Ella, and by his step-mother. He lived 
in or near Hawkinsville until nineteen years of age and then went to 
Sumner, Georgia, where he worked in a dry goods store, or commissary for 
a few months before coming to Tifton where he worked first at the Tift 
Commissary and later at the Tift Dry Goods Store. Later Spurlin’s Store 
carried shoes and men’s clothing. 

Highly esteemed for his integrity of character and for his unfailing 
courtesy to all, W. C. Spurlin was “a gentleman of the old school.” 

Mr. Spurlin was twice married. His first wife was Allie O’Kelle'y. By 
this union were two children, William Francis Spurlin, of Miami (mar¬ 
ried Alline Bragg. Issue: W. F., Jr., and Florence), and an infant who 
died in 1900, when, also, Mrs. Spurlin died. 

William C. Spurlin on September 7, 1904, at Sparks, Georgia, married 
Laura McKinney, daughter of J. W. McKinney, of Sparks, and Nancy Mc- 
Crainie (McKinney), of Berrien County. Issue: Walter Crawford, who 
married Estelle Connor; James Raleigh, who died in 1909, aged eighteen 
months; Helen; Eunice. 

Walter and Estelle Connor Spurlin have two children, James Kenneth 


462 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


and Laurel Ann. 

In 1895 W. C. Spurlin was prelate of the Kinghts of Pythias, Piney 
Woods Lodge, No. 50. Other officers that year were: E. J. Williams, Jr., 
C. C., 0. M. Tift, V. C., J. B. Green, M. of W., J. A. Peterson, M. of A., 
H. S. Murray, M. of F. and K. of R. and S., William Wilson, M. of E., H. F. 
Newton, I. G., J. A. Cole, O. G. 



MRS. HENRY HARDING TIFT 


NELSON TIFT 

Tift County is named for Nelson Tift, founder of Albany, Georgia, and 
an uncle of Henry Harding Tift, Tifton’s founder. Nelson sold Henry the 
land on which Tifton now stands. It was then covered with a mighty forest 
of virgin yellow pines. 

Nelson Tift, born in Connecticut in 1810, lived in his native state until 
twenty years old. Long fascinated by tales of the South, he, at the age of 
twenty, came to Charleston, South Carolina, where he was with a mer¬ 
cantile house. In 1835 Nelson settled in Augusta. 

In September, 1836, Nelson Tift received from a company of Augusta 
business men $1300.00 with which to come to the site now Albany and found 
a town. Those composing the company were John Rawls, Dr. R. N. Taylor, 
W. King, T. J. Watts. B. F. Watts. 







HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


463 


Traveling on horseback, Nelson arrived October 13, 1836 at the site now 
Albany. There he found Dr. Taylor and John Rawls directing white hands 
in construction of two log buildings. Next day the hands quit. After much 
search and travel Nelson secured others who completed these and other 
buildings. 

On March 19, 1837 a steamboat, Mary Emeline, from Apalachiola, ar¬ 
rived with supplies for a store. Nelson Tift bought interests of the other 
pioneers. He had surveyed, cleared off timber and laid out a town site one 
mile square, the older portion of present Albany. 

Nelson Tift, Ma'y, 1838, married Maria Mercer, a niece of Jesse Mercer 
for whom Mercer University was named. To Nelson and Maria Mercer 
Tift were born two sons and five daughters: Nelson, James M., Annie, 
Fannie, Isabel, Clara, Irene. 

In 1841, the Georgia Legislature granted a charter for Albany, Georgia. 
One of the city’s first commissioners was Nelson Tift. Also at that time 
Nelson Tift and J. C. Harris received a permit to build a bridge over the 
Flint River. 

Albany, Georgia was named for Albany, New York. 

During the War Between the States Nelson Tift and his brother, Asa, 
were Confederate sympathizers and materially aided the Confederacy by 
furnishing supplies of pork and beef, and by building boats. Also, they 
owned a hard-brick factory, a grist mill, and a barrel factory. 

Nelson and Asa employed their nephew, Henry Tift, for a while in Al¬ 
bany before Henry moved to the site now Tifton where he established a 
sawmill, in 1872. The sawmill village became Tifton. 

In Albany, Tift Avenue and Tift Park are named for Nelson Tift. He 
served as mayor of Albany and he was representative of his district in the 
Georgia Legislature. Nelson was active in Albany’s development as well 
as with his personal business until shortly before his death at the age of 
eighty-one, in 1891. 

HENRY HARDING TIFT, FOUNDER OF TIFTON 

Henry Harding Tift was born in Mystic, Connecticut, March 16, 1841. He 
was one of seven children born to Phoebe Harding Tift and Amos Chapman 
Tift, a Mystic merchant, descendant of that Tift family of which John 
Tefft, of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, who died in 1676, and John Tifft, of 
Nassau, New York, were early American progenitors. 

Henry Tift’s schooling was in Mystic common schools. Thereafter he 
attended historic Greenwich Academy from which he was graduated, 1859. 
At eighteen he became an apprentice in a Mystic machine shop where he 
remained for three 'years. A MAN of VISION, he did not scorn to begin 
work at a dollar and a half a week in order to learn the things he wished 
to know, and the knowledge of which was a useful factor in his later suc¬ 
cess in life, when came the time for him to build an industry on which 
a town was founded and which led to development of a whole community. 

After finishing his appenticeship, Henry Tift spent five years as steam¬ 
ship engineer in lines operating between Apalachicola and Key West, and 


464 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


on the C. H. Mallory Line. His brother, W. 0. Tift, married the daughter 
of the owner of this line. 

In 1870 Henry went to Albany, Georgia, where he became general man¬ 
ager of the N. and A. F. Tift Manufacturing Company two years before 
moving to the site of what is now Tifton, the town which is named for 
him and which he founded. Alban'y had been founded by Henry’s uncle, 
Nelson Tift, and from Nelson Henry purchased his acreage in what was 
then Berrien, but is now Tift County. The land was then a vast unbroken 
tract of heavily wooded pine forest. The tall yellow pines were in their 
virgin growth. He acquired more and more land until he owned more than 
fifty-five thousand acres. 

Some of the machinery for the lumber mill which Henry Tift bought he 
purchased from Thomas Henry Willingham, a prominent and wealthy 
South Carolinian who, since the War Between the States, had been living 
in the vicinity of Alban'y where he had large land holdings. Mr. Willingham 
owend a large tract of timber land at a post office station named Willing¬ 
ham, for him. At Willingham, T. H. Willingham owned a large sawmill 
and the surrounding mill village. Fire completely destroyed the village and 
the mill, except the machinery, which Henry Tift bought from Mr. Willing¬ 
ham and had hauled by an eight ox team, driven by a Negro named Louis 
Walker, through the pine wilderness which lay between Willingham and 
what is now Tifton. Here the mill was set up and soon there sprang up 
around the mill a village which grew into the town of Tifton. 

Henry had an office and a commissary on the lower floor of a tall three- 
story building which stood near the mill. Above the office was a pleasant 
two-room apartment which he and one of his brothers, Eddie Tift, occupied, 
there for a while keeping bachelor quarters. 

Later Henry met and paid court to Thomas Willingham’s daugter, 
Elizabeth Willingham, of Albany. Better known as “Bessie,” Miss Willing¬ 
ham was a young woman of unusual charm and beauty. She had attended 
Wesleyan College and later had graduated with honors at Monroe Female 
College, Forsyth. Mr. Tift first saw her in the Episcopal Church in Albany 
one Easter Sunday, and he later said that from the time he saw her he 
made up his mind that he would ask her to be his wife. They were wed in 
the First Baptist Church in Albany, on June 25, 1885, at eleven o’clock, 
the noted Baptist clergyman, Dr. M. B. Wharton, of Atlanta, performing 
the ceremony. The marriage had been preceded, on the evening before, by 
a banquet and family reunion held in honor of the bride and groom at the 
bride’s parents’ home, where relatives from Albany, Macon, Atlanta, and 
elsewhere came to attend the festivities. 

Following the fashionable wedding, the couple left for a bridal trip to 
New York, Saratoga, Niagara, and Mystic, Henry’s beloved home. At Mys¬ 
tic, Henry and his bride spent the summer with his people, and in the fall 
he brought her to Tifton where he had had his apartment in the tall build¬ 
ing refurnished in the latest style for Bessie’s reception. The fashionable 
wicker furniture was threaded with wide blue satin ribbon, tied in big 
bows. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


465 


Soon after bringing Bessie to Tifton, Henry began to build for her, across 
the street from the first quarters, a large, new house, made of heart pine 
lumber from his mill. It is said that Henr'y personally selected each board. 
Especially beautiful was the curly pine woodwork of hall, parlor and din¬ 
ing room, and a large built-in corner-cupboard. Henry and Bessie soon 
moved into the new home, which became notable for the large hospitality 
of its owners, ever generous, kind and upright. 

For long the Tift mill was the industrial life of Tifton and all of Tifton 
savored of it. The Tift plant had a capacity of 50,000 feet of rough lumber 
per day. There were three large dry kilns, and a planing mill with a daily 
output of 30,000 feet of matched and planed lumber. Also there was a tur¬ 
pentine distillery with which to extract gum from trees before sawing the 
trees into lumber. There were three locomotives, eighteen miles of rail¬ 
road, and two hundred hands constantly at work. 

As years passed, Henry not only cut timber but he developed the rich 
farming lands from which the giant trees had been cut. Cotton became an 
increasingly important factor in the community and forward-looking Henry 
built and was president of the Tifton Cotton Miil, still the outstanding 
manufacturing plant of the town. 

Tifton was incorporated as a city in 1890, by act of legislature approved 
December 29. The first regular meeting of the city council of Tifton was 
held January 9, 1891. The minutes of the first meeting follow: “‘J. 1/ 
Clements was requested to act as secretary of the meeting. Present, his 
honor, W. H. Love, Mayor. Councilmen H. H. Tift, J. C. Goodman, E. P. 
Bowen, John Pope, and J. I. Clements. Absent, Councilman M. A. Sexton. 
On motion of Alderman Bowen, Alderman J. I. Clements was elected 
mayor pro tern. On motion of Alderman Tift, A. J. McRea was elected 
marshal for the year. On motion of Alderman Clements, J. H. Goodman 
was elected clerk and treasurer for the year. Motion made and carried that 
the marshal’s salary shall be thirty-three and one-third dollars per month 
land such other cost as he may be entitled to for him services. But in no 
case shall the city be liable for an'y fees whatever. On motion it was or¬ 
dered that the marshal and the clerk and treasurer each give bond for 
one thousand dollars for the faithful performance of their duty. On motion 
it was ordered that the mayor be authorized to make arrangements to care 
for prisoners until a guard house can be built. On motion it was ordered 
that the regular meeting of Council be held on the first Monday night at 
7 P.M. in each month. 

“On motion it was ordered that the marshal shall procure him a dark 
blue suit and brass buttons. On motion it was ordered that the mayor be 
paid One Hundred Dollars per annum for his services. On motion Council 
adjourned. 

“Signed J. I. Clements, 

Clerk pro tern.” 

The mayor and councilmen took oath of office before Columbus W. Ful- 
wood, N. P., of Berrien County. 

The minutes of the City of Tifton do not indicate where the first meet- 


466 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


ing of council was held, nor is set forth the place of the second meeting, 
but the third meeting, which was on February 2, 1891, at 7 o’clock, was 
held in the office of H. H. Tift, and was the customary place of meeting of 
Council for several 'years. 

Among the earliest activities of the City Council was the building of a 
guard house and for this Henry Tift advanced the sum of $685.51 to com¬ 
plete the project, the money to be repaid by the city, and at 8% interest. 

Early the use of spiritous liquors was discouraged by the passing of an 
ordinance fixing the license “for selling spiritous, vinus, malt or intoxicat¬ 
ing liquors, rice beer, cider, beer bitters or anything that will tend to in¬ 
toxicate, at Ten Thousand Dollars per annum, Payable before Commencing 
business.” This ordinance and others fixing various license fees was passed 
at a called meeting, held January 19, 1891, the second meeting of council. 

Fines were set for an'yone guilty of disturbing public worship, or public 
meetings, or for using profane or obscene language in a loud or boisterous 
manner upon the streets or in any public place. Fines were set for the 
violation of the Sabbath day; also for hitching a horse, mule, donkey or 
any other animal to shade tree or injuring the shade trees in any manner. 

At a meeting of Council in H. H. Tift’s office, September 7, 1891, Messrs. 
B. T. Allen, H. H. Tift and J. C. Goodman were appointed to constitute a 
committee to suggest a method of naming streets and appropriate names 
for same. E. P. Bowen, mayor pro tern., presided at this meeting. Present 
were Aldermen H. H. Tift, J. C. Goodman, John Pope, B. T. Allen. 

At a meeting held in Henry’s office November 2, 1891, at eight o’clock, 
W. H. Love, Mayor, presiding, the following present, Aldermen H. H. Tift, 
E. P. Bowen, J. C. Goodman, B. T. Allen, the matter of streets was dis¬ 
cussed by council as a whole and it was agreed that all streets runing 
east and west should be called streets and numbered. Those on the north 
side of the B. and W. R. R. to have even numbers, beginning with the one 
next to the railroad as Second Street, and those on the south side of the 
railroad next to the railroad as First Street. 

That all streets running north and south should be called avenues and 
named, with the exception of two which should be called streets and named. 
Thus, the street running between Messrs. Green and Knight’s should be 
Mill Avenue; the one by the Institute, Tift Avenue, which ends at the 
B. and W. R. R., one by Dr. J. C. Goodman’s, Central Avenue; the next 
one west of Central, Ridge Avenue. 

“Exceptions: That the Street joining Love Avenue at the B. and W. R. R. 
and running by the Guard House be called Main Street, the one running 
by J. C. Goodman’s drug store and parallel with the G. S. and F. R. R. 
should be called Railroad Street. It was moved and seconded that a com¬ 
mittee be appointed to establish the city limits. The motion was carried and 
Messrs. H. H. Tift and B. T. Allen were appointed on that committee. 

“J. H. Goodman, clerk and treasurer.” 

Among early settlers who came to occupy places of prominence in the 
community were Henry Tift’s brothers, W. O. Tift and Edward Tift; prin¬ 
cipals of the school, W. L. Harman, and Jason Scarboro; Ben T. Allen, 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


467 


founder of the Tifton Gazette, in 1891; Reverend J. H. Foster, pastor of 
the Methodist Church; Captain John A. Phillips, who owned the Sadie 
Hotel; W. W. Pace; W. H. Love, Tifton’s first mayor, for whom Love 
Avenue was named; E. P. Bowen, who later became president of the Bank 
of Tifton; M. A. Sexton; J. I. Clements; J. C. Goodman, beloved “family 
physician” of Tifton’s early days; Reverend Charles M. Irwin, first pastor 
of the Baptist Church; John Pope, C. A. Williams; the Reverend W. W. 
Webb, who had presided over the meeting at which the Tifton Baptist 
Church was constituted, about 1888; James Overstreet, a farmer of the 
vicinity before Tifton became a town; Dr. J. A. McCrea, Dr. N. Peterson, 
J. L. Pickard; Raleigh Eve, J. L. Herring, C. W. Fulwood, Mr. Carswell, 
Briggs Carson, Dr. P. A. Jessup. 

Henry Tift, his brother, W. O. Tift, and the Reverend L. A. Snow had 
extensive fruit plantings in the vicinity of Tifton in the early 1890’s. H. 
H. Tift and Snow, Inc., was incorporated in 1891. The cultivation of Con¬ 
cord grapes was so extensive that many carloads of the luscious grapes 
were shipped to points far distant. Peaches and other fruits were culti¬ 
vated on an extensive scale and were shipped throughout the country. Henry 
gave the land for an experimental farm, called Cycloneta, which was 
famous in its day. The Railroad company to which the land was given 
failed, and with it the experimental operations ceased. Henry personally 
owned numerous large farms and these, operated for him by J. Burwell 
Greene, were interesting and profitable ventures. With S. G. Slack and 
others H. H. Tift in 1892 began a canning factory in Tifton to can local 
produce, which was widely shipped. Tobacco was successfully grown and 
after the experiment had proved successful, it was abandoned by Mr. Tift 
who was more interested in other projects. 

In 1896 Henry Tift founded and was a principal stockholder of the Bank 
of Tifton of which he was president from 1903 until his death in 1922. 

Besides his local business interests, Henry was prominently associated 
with numerous important enterprises elsewhere in Georgia and in Florida. 

Henry was vice-president of the Central Grocery Company, a director 
of the Planters’ Cotton Oil Company, and of the Georgia, Southern and 
Florida Railroad. He was vice-president of the Bankers’ Trust Company; 
president of the Piedmont Cotton Mills at Egan; vice-president of the 
Willingham Lumber Company, of Atlanta; president of the Tift Silicia 
Brick and Stone Company, of Albany. He organized the Georgia-Florida 
Saw Mill at Alton, Florida, and was for many 'years president of the 
Georgia-Florida Saw Mill Association. In 1896 he extended one of his 
logging roads to Fitzgerald and for a number of years owned and operated 
this road under name of the Tifton and Northeastern, which he later sold. 
It afterward became known as the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic. He 
also built and owned the Tifton, Thomasville, and Gulf Railroad, the T. T. 
and G. The Negroes used to call it the “Turtle, Tappin and Gopher.” 

Through the vision of Henry Tift and his generosity the Abraham Bald¬ 
win Agricultural College and the Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station 
were located at Tifton. Henry personally gave the land for the original 
315 acre campus and a large donation in money. 


468 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Henry Tift attended all trustee meetings and was the guiding spirit in 
the development of the institution. Later he became a trustee and so con¬ 
tinued. He loved the school and once when at commencement the students 
presented him a silver loving cup he was so deeply touched that all he 
could say was: “Of all the investments I have ever made, this school has 
brought me the biggest dividends.” 

Henry also was a patron of the Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station 
and it was secured to Tifton largely through his personal effort and his 
personal generosity of several hundreds of acres of land and several thou¬ 
sands of dollars in money. It began operations in 1920. 

The Fulwood Park also is the gift of Henry Tift to Tifton. Henry, with 
characteristic modesty, in its name honored not himself but his good friend 
who helped him draw up the papers for the park and who later served for 
many years as park commissioner—Columbus Wesle'y Fulwood. Col. Ful¬ 
wood was for many years Henry’s legal adviser and he held Mr. Fulwood 
in high esteem. 

The land for the first church edifice erected in Tifton was a gift of 
Henry Tift. This, next to where the Methodist church now is, and toward 
where the Post Office now stands, was the site of a neat white frame chapel 
which was built for the worship of God and for the use of all denomina¬ 
tions. The Methodists soon outnumbered any other denomination and the 
church being claimed by them as being in the majority it was turned over 
to them exclusively and Henry gave to the Baptists a site on which they 
built a church of their own—the edifice now owned by the Presbyterians. 
Henry also gave to the Episcopal denomination the site on which was built 
St. Anne’s. When the Baptists first built on their North Park Avenue site 
they erected a frame building. Before a single service was held the build¬ 
ing was destroyed by fire. Henry, who had given generously toward the 
first building suggested that they rebuild with brick and to make that 
possible, he gave generously, as he gave to all of the churches. When the 
Methodists built a larger church he bought back from them the original 
building, had it moved on rollers to the mill village and named it the Bessie 
Tift Chapel for his beloved wife. In it on Sunday afternoons she would 
teach the mill children the Word of God. 

On August 17, 1905 the site of Tifton and its outlying lands, part of 
Worth and Berrien Counties, became by act of Legislature TIFT COUNTY. 
It is not customary to name a county for a living person and therefore 
Tift County honored Nelson Tift (born Groton, Connecticut, 1810; died 
Albany, Georgia, November 21, 1891), founder of Albany, and an uncle of 
Henry Tift, but it is generally conceded that the name was chosen not only 
to honor Nelson but also Henr’y because of the high esteem in which Henry 
Tift was held. 

Though far from his bo’yhood home, Henry still loved it and he would 
spend his summers there. In 1906 he bought the old Pyncheon home on 
Meeting House Hill, Mystic. This had been in his family for ninety years, 
and there Henry and Bessie and their family would spend their summers 
thereafter. Henry loved sailing, and owned “The Annie” and “The Wasp,” 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


469 


and was seldom happier than when, with his hand on the tiller, he was 
sailing over the waters of the Sound. Also there was swimming and there 
were clam-bakes. All these things Henr'y loved. His merry, blue eyes would 
twinkle with happiness as he saw everybody about him enjoying the fun. 
His sister and her family, the Bebees, usually were of the party occupying 
the old house each summer. Various members of Bessie’s family would 
visit there at different times. The Mystic summers were happy times. 

For man’y years Henry Tift made large and frequent donations to Monroe 
Female College, Forsyth, where Bessie had graduated in 1878. In recogni¬ 
tion of Henry’s and Bessie’s generosity and in appreciation of their great 
service to the college the Board of Trustees changed the name of the in¬ 
stitution to Bessie Tift College. This took place in 1907, when Dr. C. H. S. 
Jackson was president of the college. 

Bessie became interested in the work of Tallulah Falls School, and re¬ 
turning from a meeting at which she had learned of the great need of the 
school, and at which she had been elected one of the first three trustees, 
she told Henry about the school and about how handicapped it was for 
lack of almost every needful thing. Impressed by the loftiness of the project 
and by the need, Henry sent a carload of lumber from his Tifton Mill to 
Tallulah Falls. There, with lumber from the Tifton mill was erected the 
school’s first dormitory. It was built by the school bo'ys, and the tools with 
which they worked were bought by money sent for the purpose by Henry 
Tift, Jr. This cottage, called the Lucy Willett Cottage, is now used as 
a hostess house. 

Far-seeing Henry, in addition to giving Fulwood Park to Tifton, said 
that the town would need a hospital, and he provided that a certain choice 
lot near the park might be acquired by the city at a low price provided it 
were used as a hospital site. Also, he gave to the Twentieth Century Li¬ 
brary Club a lot on which to build a library; but they sold it instead of 
using it as a building site, and later they purchased the handsome J. J. L. 
Phillips house in which the library is housed, and which provides spacious 
and beautiful rooms for club meetings. 

Henry was a man of such shrewd judgment that he not only foresaw an 
opportunity for building, but he also was quick to perceive when a thing 
had fulfilled its usefulness. Therefore when the tall timber was cut and 
Henr'y realized that to continue to operate the mill would be to do so at 
a loss, he closed it down. This was in 1916, after forty-four years of opera¬ 
tion. After that the town, to Henry’s machinery accustomed ears, seemed 
strangely quiet. 

“It seems quiet without the mill, doesn’t it, Bess?” he asked. However, 
he turned his attention to fruit growing, live stock raising, pecan growing 
and to cotton seed oil. He felt that in these things lay Tifton’s greatest 
opportunity of financial growth. 

January 1, 1920, Henry became Tifton’s last mayor. When the city 
changed its form of government to the commission form of government he 
became chairman of the commission, January 1, 1921. 

Henry and Bessie had three sons, Henry Harding Tift, Jr., Thomas 
Willingham Tift, and Amos Chapman Tift, and Henry and Bessie had a 


470 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


number of grandchildren who were their pride and joy. Granddaddy’ll 
take that boy!” Henr'y would say, and take his little grandson, Henry 
Tift III, whose mother had died and who was living with Bessie and Henry, 
where also the child’s father, Henry, Jr. lived and Henry, Jr.’s little 
daughter, “Pres.” Henry, Sr. would take little Henr'y II and walk with him 
up and down the room and sing to him, until the child slept. 

Henry was eighty-three years old when, in 1922, he suffered a stroke of 
paralysis from which after a few da'ys he died, on Saturday morning, 
February fourth. His last words were, “Take care of Bess.” 

In accordance with his previously expressed wish Henry’s body was 
carried back to his beloved Mystic for burial. A number of devoted and 
sorrowing friends formed an escort of honor that went with his body on 
a special train from Tifton to Mystic. Besides his family those who went 
were R. W. Goodman, J. L. Pickard, J. J. Golden, I. W. Meyers, S. F. 
Fleetwood, E. P. Bowen, B. Y. Wallace, J. L. Herring, all of Tifton; J. D. 
Willingham and W. B. Willingham, both of Atlanta. 

Words cannot express the kindness of Henr'y, with his twinkly blue eyes 
and benign smile. Though not large of physique, Henry was large in every 
other respect. His was a large heart, a large mind—and he was a man 
of large vision. Bessie always called him, “Big Henry,” and perhaps her 
name for him aptly summed his character. Henry Tift was big in all that 
was good. He was a truly great man. 

Although Henry received a financial rating of upward of seven million 
dollars, it was not because of his wealth that Henry Tift was esteemed, 
but rather because of his constant consideration of the welfare of his 
fellows. Perhaps he was greatest not on the day in which he made his 
largest sum of money, but rather on that day when, in his office, he fingered 
a stack of notes due him and said, “If I should call these notes, I would 
make a million dollars; but if I did, I’d break every man whose note I hold. 
Not a note shall be called!” 

EDMUND HARDING TIFT 

Edmund Harding Tift, born Mystic, Conn., was son of Amos Chapman 
Tift and Phoebe Harding Tift, and was brother of Henry Harding Tift, 
founder of Tifton. Edmund came to Tifton in 1885, the year of Henry’s 
marriage, but prior to it. 

Edmund Tift’s wife was Catherine Ransome, a native of Mystic, Conn., 
and they had one daughter, Catherine, called Lassie. 

When Eddie Tift arrived in Tifton another brother, Orville, was already 
here. For a number of 'years the three Tift brothers lived in a row, Henry 
being in a large house in the middle and one brother on each side, in a 
cottage. Later, Orville built a very large house, now the Hendricks’ house, 
on Love Avenue, and Ed built a large house across the street, the house 
now the Frank Corry home. 

Edmund, called “Uncle Eddie” was associated with Henry Tift in bus¬ 
iness. He was head of the Tift Dry Goods Store which occupied the build¬ 
ing now housing the Wade-Corry Co. In the store was W. C. Spurlin, and 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


471 


Mrs. Annie Bennett there had her fashionable dressmaking establishment 
where she with exceptionable skill fashioned smart and beautiful garments. 

In addition to their other interests, all of the Tift brothers had farming 
interests. In August, 1895 the Tifton Gazette stated: “Capt. E. H. Tift 
has shipped 52,000 lbs. of grapes from his Mystic, Georgia vineyard up 
to yesterday and has more to ship.” The big purple Concord bunch 
grapes of the Tifton of that day were a great delicacy, much in demand. 

The home of Mrs. E. H. Tift was the birthplace of the Twentieth Cen¬ 
tury Library Club. The meeting had been planned and scheduled to be held 
in the home of Mrs. W. W. Banks. Mrs. Banks had a headache, and Mrs. 
Tift, at Mrs. Banks’ request, offered her home. Mrs. W. O. Tift was first 
president of the club. Thereafter Mrs. H. H. Tift was president until her 
death. Through efforts of Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Tift Episcopal Church serv¬ 
ices were brought to Tifton, and St. Anne’s Church was built, work on the 
building beginning March 20, 1898. Prior to that services had been held 
in the Methodist Church which had been built as a church to be used by 
all denominations. Henry for that purpose had donated the lot and a 
generous sum of money. At the beginning of the Episcopal Church here 
there were only four members and to augment their small group the Bap¬ 
tist and Methodist friends would meet with them. From the earliest days 
until they left Tifton, Mr., and Mrs. E. H. Tift usually would entertain in 
their home the Episcopal minister when he would come to Tifton to hold 
service. The minister came from Alban'y, Fitzgerald or Cordele, and serv¬ 
ices were held once or twice a month. Mrs. E. H. Tift played the organ 
and E. H. Tift sang in the choir. With the bishop, E. H. Tift planned the 
building and supervised its erection on a lot given by Henry Tift. The 
Bishop gave some financial aid and the small congregation was cooperative, 
and St. Anne’s became a reality. 

Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Tift were interested too in the social life of the 
community and gathered together the talent of the town of that early 
day and gave entertainments, a source of pleasure to those presenting the 
program and those who composed the audience. 

In the summer of 1906 Mrs. E. H. Tift and Miss Catherine Tift visited 
Mrs. Tift’s sister, Mrs. Sanford Starke, in Denver, Colorado. They re¬ 
turned to Tifton in September. 

Mr. Tift built many cottages in Tifton, and also built the brick business 
block which, in 1917, was occupied by Kent & Son. 

Mr. Tift was for a time exalted Ruler of Tifton Lodge of Elks. 

Mrs. Tift was a woman of beauty of face and character. Mr. Tift, quiet 
and kind, was deeply interested in his home and church, and was capable 
in business. He lived in Tifton for thirty years, and he and Mrs. Tift had 
many friends here. For a time, Mrs. Tift’s mother, Mrs. Ransome, lived 
with the E. H. Tift’s. She was an invalid who sat in a wheelchair. Mrs. 
Tift was careful to have Mrs. Ransome always daintily clad and about her 
shoulders a pretty scarf, usually hand crochet. On her head would be a 
small lace cap, the fashion among elderly women of that day. 

Catherine, only daughter of Edmund and Catherine Ransome Tift, mar¬ 
ried Edward Henry Bacon, Jr. (born Jan. 21, 1882; graduated Georgia 


472 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Tech, 1902), son of Sallie Willingham Bacon and Dr. Edward Henry Bacon 
of Eastman. Sallie was a sister of Bessie, and Ed, Jr. was a frequent 
visitor in the H. H. Tift household, in Tifton. 

Catherine and Ed Bacon went to Manchester, England where they lived 
for five years. They later lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Thence they 
moved to Jacksonville, Fla., their present home. They have three daughters, 
Dorothy, Katherine and Betty. 

In 1915 the E. H. Tifts went from Tifton to Massachusetts. In December, 
1916, Mr. E. H. Tift visited Tifton friends by whom he was warmly re¬ 
ceived. He then returned to Massachusetts. There, shortly afterward, one 
Wednesday afternoon, at about six o’clock, he died of hardening of the 
arteries. Death occurred at Arlington, a suburb of Boston. Burial was in 
the Tift lot in Mystic, where the Tifts had been buried for many genera¬ 
tions, E. H., at the time of his death was about 63 years old. 

E. H. Tift was survived by his widow, his daughter, his brother, H. H. 
Tift, and three sisters, Mrs. William K. Holmes, of Mystic, Conn.; Mrs. S. 
E. Bebee, of New York City; Mrs. Frank Buckley, of M’ystic, Conn. 

At the exact hour of the Mystic service a memorial service for E. H. 
Tift was held in Tifton at St. Anne’s, in the little white chapel which he 
had helped to build and which he had greatly loved. There his friends 
gathered at 2:30 in the afternoon of Thursday, January 25, 1917. The 
Vicar, W. W. Webster, was in charge of the service, but had recently come 
to Tifton and had not known Mr. Tift. He introduced Dr. C. W. Durden, 
pastor of the First Baptist Church of Tifton, and a friend of Mr. Tift. Dr. 
Durden preached the sermon, which was followed by the reading of the 
Episcopal burial service, the Lord’s Prayer, and the singing of “Asleep In 
Jesus.” 

Mrs. E. H. Tift continues to live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mr. and 
Mrs. E. H. Bacon, Jr. continue to make their home in Jacksonville, Fla. 
Dorothy Bacon is a skilled technician. She has been in doctors’ laboratories 
in Thomasville, and Jacksonville, and she now is in the far West. Kath¬ 
erine and Betty Bacon are married. 


BESSIE WILLINGHAM TIFT 

Bessie Willingham Tift moved to Tifton in the autumn of 1885 when 
she came here as bride of Henry Harding Tift after a honeymoon trip 
which included a visit to fashionable Saratoga, Niagara Falls, and New 
York City, and a sojourn with Henry’s people in his boyhood home, Mystic, 
Connecticut. Bessie and Henry had been married at a ceremony performed 
by the Reverend W. B. Wharton of Atlanta, in the First Baptist Church, 
Albany, Georgia, June 15, 1885. 

Bessie was one of seventeen children of Thomas Henry Willingham 
(born Lawtonville, South Carolina, July 12, 1825; educated, Penfield Acad¬ 
emy, Penfield, Georgia and at Madison University, Hamilton, New York, 
now Colgate’s, which he attended 1842-1844; married at Beaufort Baptist 
Church, Dr. Richard Fuller officiating; died May 29, 1891, Atlanta, Geor- 




Top—Mrs. Henry Harding Tift, the beloved mother of Tifton prominent 
Left—Mrs. H. H. Tift and three little sons, Willingham, Amos, Henry, 
artist and writer. 

Bottom—Mrs. Florence Willingham Pickard, prominent artist and writer, 
a sister of Mrs. H. H. Tift. 


474 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


gia; buried, Albany, Georgia) and Cecelia Baynard Willingham (see sketch, 
this book). 

Bessie’s parents were natives of South Carolina, and Bess was born at 
their handsome South Carolina plantation home, “Smyrna,” near Old Al¬ 
lendale, on June 30, 1860. When still very young she refugeed with her 
parents and brothers and sisters from South Carolina to a plantation her 
father owned near what is now Baconton, Georgia. Not long afterward she 
moved with her family to another place Thomas owned, the Yance’y Place, 
comprising several hundred acres, on which was Blue Springs, now famous 
Radium Springs, a few miles from Albany. 

When ten years old Bessie was baptized into membership of the Mission¬ 
ary Baptist Church, Albany; Dr. H. H. Witestt, pastor of the Albany 
Church and later president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 
performed the rite of baptism. 

Bessie and her younger sister, Florie (see sketch, this book), attended in 
Albany a girls’ private school conducted by R. D. Mallory. There they 
were prepared for college. Both entered Wesleyan in 1875, Bessie going into 
the Freshman class and Florie entering Sub-freshman. At Wesleyan both 
joined the Adelphian Sorority, which many years later became Alpha Delta 
Pi. 

In January of 1877 Bess entered the upper Junior Class of Monroe Fe¬ 
male College, Forsyth, from which she was graduated in 1878. During that 
period Florie remained in Albany but after Bess’s graduation Florie went 
to college in Virginia. 

During one of Florie’s vacations Bess and Florie visited friends at a 
house-party at Louisa Courthouse, Virginia. There Bess fell in love with 
a brilliant young man to whom she became engaged. Later they had a mis¬ 
understanding, which made Bess deeply unhappy. Soon afterward she was 
shocked and grieved to learn that he had committed suicide. 

Some time after this Bessie attended service at the Episcopal Church in 
Albany, one Easter Sunday. Bess had on a daring new hat, so new and so 
stylish that her married sister to whom it and another belonged had told 
Bess that she had not nerve to wear either alone but would wear one if 
Bess would wear the other. That day Henry Tift was present at the service. 
He saw Bess and was captivated. He later said that he made up his mind 
at once that if that young lad'y (Bess), was as good as she was pretty he 
was going to have her for his wife, if possible. 

Bess soon after this received an invitation to attend a house-party given 
by the Nelson Tifts at St. Simons Island. Nelson Tift was Henry’s uncle, 
and Henry, who had arranged the party for the purpose of meeting Bessie, 
was one of those present. Later, while driving near Blue Springs, Henry 
asked Bessie to marry him. At first Bess said “No,” but he asked her why? 

“There are two reasons,” said Bess. 

“What are they?” queried Henry. 

“You will not go to church with me,” Bessie told him. 

“I will go to church with you every Sunday morning that I am not sick,” 
Henry said, and then asked, “What is the other reason?” 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


475 


“You are twenty years older than I am,” said Bess. 

Henry replied: “That is true, but I come of a family of great longevity, 
and it is probable that I shall live almost as long as 'you do.” 

Henry was highly regarded by Bess’s father and by all who knew him. 
He was a man known to be of sterling character and he had accumulated 
great wealth. Bess decided to marry him; and she liked his sending from 
the jeweler’s a whole tray of diamonds from which she might choose any 
ring she preferred. 

Henry proved to be a kind and devoted husband and Bessie was deeply 
blessed in his great love for her. 

When first Bessie and Henry arrived in Tifton in the fall of 1885, after 
their hone'ymoon in the North, they occupied the two-room apartment which 
had been Henry’s before his marriage and which was over his office. He 
had had it completely newly furnished in readiness for Bess’s coming. 

Henry soon built for Bess a handsome new house into which they moved 
and which they continued to call home as long as they lived. The house in 
which they first lived is still standing, but it has been moved from its 
original location to a site about a block east on Second Street, and across 
the street. Its original location was the place where Twin Brick Warehouse 
now is. The new home that Henry built for Bess is that now occupied by 
Amos Tift, son of Henry. 

To Bessie and Henry Tift were born three sons, Henry Harding Tift, 
Jr., Thomas Willingham Tift, and Amos Tift. They had no daughter, but 
they reared the daughter and also a son of Bess’s sister, Belle, who died 
when her children, Cecilia and William Lawrence, were small. Bessie and 
Henry also reared Virginia Pound Tift, called “Prec,” and Henry Harding 
Tift III, children of their eldest son, Henry, Jr., whose wife, Virginia 
Pound, died when the older child was still little more than a baby. 

When Bessie came to Tifton she found no Baptist Church here. It was 
not long before she and a few other Baptists, about a dozen in all, banded 
together, and a church was constituted. The minister who constituted the 
church was the late Reverend William Wiley LaFa'yette Webb, better known 
as W. W. Webb, whose sons Henry D., Elias, and George, make their home 
in Tifton and are members of this church. Bessie was one of the charter 
members of the church and among the others were Reverend and Mrs. W. 
W. Webb, Mr. and Mrs. B. T. Allen and a Mrs. Adams. That first meeting 
was held in a small frame building which stood on a lot next to a cotton 
field which Bess owned behind their house lot. The building stood about 
where the Primitive Baptist Church now stands. This small building was 
used for a church, a school, and a courthouse, and for all public meetings. 
It was Tifton’s only place of public meeting at that time. It was destroyed 
b'y fire in 1888, not long after the Baptist Church was constituted. 

Soon after the destruction of this building, Baptists, Methodists and 
other Tifton church members desired to erect a new building to be used by 
all denominations as a church. Henry Tift for this purpose gave a lot and 
a part of the building fund and this dream became a reality. (See sketch 
of Henry Tift.) 

Bessie was instrumental in organizing the first Woman’s Missionary 


476 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Society in Tifton. Composed of women of different denominations, it met 
in Bessie’s parlor early in 1891, and she became its first president. Miss 
Lena Knight (later Mrs. Williams), a Methodist, was the first secretary. 
Mrs. Wesley Thomas Hargrett, a Baptist, was the first treasurer. There 
were about ten charter members. Seven of these were: Bessie Tift, Lena 
Knight, Mrs. W. T. Hargrett, Mrs. I. W. Bowen, Mrs. E. P. Bowen, Mrs. 
Hargrett’s sister, Mrs. A. S. Speight, Mrs. W. 0. Tift. The Reverend C. M. 
Irwin, of the Baptist State Mission Board and first pastor of the Tifton 
Baptist Church, met with the ladies on the occasion of their organization 
meeting. 

Bessie continued president of the Missionary Society until her death, a 
period of more than forty years; out of this society grew r the Baptist 
Woman’s Missionary Society of which Bessie was president from the time 
of its beginning until her death. As the various churches increased in mem¬ 
bership, women of each denomination had their own society. 

The year 1904 was brimful of excitement for Bess. Tifton was growing, 
and the world was doing things hitherto little heard of, or on a scale un¬ 
precedented. On Tuesday afternoon, of the first week of January, 1904, the 
first south bound train of the “Millionaire’s Special” steamed into Tifton. 
Its “elegance” and convenience was town talk, for at that time its two 
Pullman cars, dining car and observation car were a marvel of luxury. 
It was “lighted by electricity by a special, patented device.” The cars were 
the El Dorado, the Persian, the Falls City, and the Wellington. Bess looked 
forward happily to the exciting pleasure of travel under such conditions 
as these. 

The tenth of January was the brithda'y anniversary of Cecilia Willing¬ 
ham. As the day of seventy-fifth year approached Bess was busy in prepa¬ 
ration for a family reunion in honor of Cecilia. She and Henry were hosts 
at the hospitable Tift home to a great gathering of Cecilia’s children, grand¬ 
children, and great-grandchildren, and the wives or husbands of the des¬ 
cendants. It was a brilliant occasion. The Tift home was flower-decked, the 
great seated dining in the dining room was a veritable feast of turkey, 
cranberry, home-made rolls, steaming hot vegetables, ice cream, whipped 
cream, and home-made cake. Following this was a heart-stirring program 
rendered amid tears of joy, or mirthful laughter in the candle-lighted par¬ 
lor, cheerful with its great logs upon the tall brightly polished brass 
andirons. These reunions were held almost every year from the time Cecilia 
was seventy-five until the year of her death, at 86, in 1914, at Easter time. 

The St. Louis World’s Fair was held in the year of 1904. At the exposition 
grounds was a Georgia building, a replica of the General John B. Gordon 
home. Into its building went the finest of lumber and Henry Tift was in 
charge of furnishing that lumber. He personally selected for the interior 
especially beautiful lumber from his Tifton mill. 

Henry went up to the Fair, and Bess journeyed there with him. It was 
great fun. The Georgia building, on the highest place of the fair grounds, 
was beautiful. It was the scene of a number of receptions arranged for 
Georgians attending the Exposition. At one of these Bess wished to sum- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


477 


mon a maid. She pushed a button and awaited the maid’s arrival, but she 
did not appear. Suddenly, Bess heard the loud commotion of the arrival 
of the fire department. It stopped at the Georgia building. To her con¬ 
sternation and embarrassment Bess realized that she had not summoned 
a maid but had turned in a fire alarm! 

One of the most interesting trips of Bess’s whole life was in the summer 
of 1905 when she accompanied her sister, Florie and Florie’s husband, the 
Reverend William Lowndes Pickard, to Europe where Will Pickard went 
as a delegate from the church of which he was pastor, the First Baptist 
Church of Lynchburg, Virginia, to the first Baptist World’s Alliance, held 
at Exeter Hall, London, July 11 to 18, 1905. The venerable Dr. Alexander 
McLaren, then in his eightieth year, presided over the congress. Dr. Pickard 
preached at one of the Baptist churches of London on Sunday. 

After the congress was over, Bess and Florie and Will toured Europe, 
visiting England, Scotland, France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. It 
was on that trip that occurred an incident out of which grew the inspira¬ 
tion of two large pictures painted by Florie. One of these, “Choosing the 
Crown” was dedicated to Bessie. The other, “The Chosen Crown,” was 
dedicated to her sister, Belle. 

In 1905 came the long hoped for creation of a new County of which 
Tifton was to be the County Seat. It made Bess very happy that it was 
named Tift, partly for Nelson and much for Henry. Everyone knew that 
though the county was officially named for Nelson, it was in large degree 
Henry’s popularity that prompted it and the name was chosen to do honor 
to him as well as to his uncle. 

Nearly every summer Bess and Henry spent at Henry’s boyhood home, 
beloved Mystic, Connecticut. After the death of one of Henry’s aged rela¬ 
tives, Frances Pyncheon, who had owned the old Tift homestead, Henry 
bought the old home, and thereafter he and Bess spent most of their sum¬ 
mers there. The summers were given over to house-parties, and Henry’s 
relatives, the Beebees, and many of Bessie’s relatives were their guests on 
more than one occasion. Those were happy days, begun with pra'yer and 
Bible reading, and given over to rest and recreation. There were clam¬ 
bakes, swimming parties, sailing and picnics. The Tifts loved those sum¬ 
mers at Mystic, but they also looked forward to the return to Tifton in 
the fall. 

In 1906, through Henry’s suggestion, Mrs. N. Peterson interested Bessie 
in the one-year-old Twentieth Century Library Club. Bess was not a mem¬ 
ber nor had she ever attended a meeting. She said she did not have time 
for the work. 

“My church work keeps me so busy—m'y Sunday School class and the 
Missionary Society. I just haven’t time for club work, Bess said. 

Nevertheless, the club announced to Bess that she had been elected pres¬ 
ident, provided she would join the club and so serve. She accepted the office, 
which she held, with the exception of a few months, until her death, thirty 
years later. She became interested in other clubs, also. About the time that 
Bessie became president of the Library Club the organization affiliated 
with other state clubs, and the State Federation of Clubs met in Tifton 


478 


HISTORY-OF TIFT COUNTY 


in 1907, at the new school, at present Tifton Grammar School, but then 
housing all of the grades through high school. Social functions were at the 
then recently completed Hotel Myon. The delegates were entertained in the 
homes of the Tifton club members. 

In 1907 Bess became a vice-president of the Georgia Federation of clubs. 
This position she held for many 'years. Also she was a life director of the 
Federation. 

Bess was one of the first three trustees of Tallulah Falls School. Through 
her interest in that school Henry gave the lumber with which the school’s 
first dormitory was erected, and her son, Henry, Jr., gave the money for 
the purchase of tools with which it was built. The students did the labor. 
That cottage is now called the Lucy Willett Hall. 

Bessie Tift taught the Bessie Tift Bible Class from the time of its or¬ 
ganization until her death, a period of many years. She was for five years 
president of the Tifton Woman’s Temperance Union. 

Bess was a charter member of the Charlotte Carson Chapter of the 
United Daughters of the Confederacy, and she was a member of the 
Thronateeskee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. 

After Bess’s graduation from Monroe Female College she continued 
deeply interested in the work of the college. Henry became interested, too. 
This resulted in Henry’s making numerous large gifts to the college. The 
gifts were so generous, that the college trustees, to show appreciation, 
changed the name of the college to Bessie Tift College. This took place at 
a Trustee meeting held at Cartersville, Georgia, November 21, 1906. J. L. 
White was president of the Board of Trustees at that time and Dr. C. H. S. 
Jackson was president of the college. 

Bessie was a woman of exceptional charm and beauty and she was a 
gifted and persuasive speaker. Besides teaching the Bessie Tift Sunday 
School Class, Bessie taught a Sunday School class which she organized at 
the Second District Agricultural School. Also, she for a time taughu a 
Sunday School class at the Bessie Tift Chapel. She was a consecrated, 
pious woman and gave much of her time to Bible study and to the study 
of the Sunday School lesson, and to pra'yer. Throughout the years daily 
family devotions were held in the Tift home each early morning. To prayer 
came all members of the household—the family, guests, Negro servants. 
Scripture was read, Bess or Bess’s mother, Cecilia, if she were there, led 
in prayer and then all joined in the repetition of the Lord’s Prayer. It 
was a sweet and blessed devotion whose influence reached out into the days 
and years ahead. 

Bessie lived in terms of her church, her family and clubs. She was deeply 
devoted to her husband and to her sons, Henry, Jr., Willingham, and Amos; 
and she loved to visit her kinspeople and to have them visit her. Hos¬ 
pitality had a large share in hers and Henry’s lives. Bess’s brothers and 
sisters with their wives or husbands, and her many nieces and nephews 
were frequent visitors, and it was seldom that there was not one or an¬ 
other of these present. The household was blessed with faithful and effi¬ 
cient Negro servitors, and among these were Aunt Jane, an artist in cook¬ 
ery, Jerry, Julia, both excellent cooks, Old Uncle Herbert, for many years 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


479 


the gardener; kind Bertha, nurse and sometimes house-maid; Flora, who 
as a laundress was unexcelled, and faithful Jeff Mathis. 

Bessie Tift often visited her brothers, Ben and Will in Atlanta, Baynard, 
in College Park, and her sisters, Fetie (Mrs. Cornelius Daniel), in At¬ 
lanta; Florie (Mrs. W. L. Pickard, who lived in man'y places where Dr. 
Pickard’s church pastorates took him); Julia (wife of Dr. Wallace Winn 
Bacon), in Albany; and Sallie (wife of Dr. E. H. Bacon, brother of 
W. W. B.), Eastman. Bessie’s sisters, Maggie (Mrs. T. 0. B. Wood), Pearl 
(Mrs. Irvine Myers), and Belle (Mrs. William Lawrence), lived in Tifton. 
Bessie’s brother, W. J. Willingham, was a frequent Tifton visitor. 

The Bacon brothers, Wallace and Edwin, whom Bessie’s sisters Julia and 
Sallie, respectively, married, were descendants of the Bacons who were 
among the earliest settlers of famous Midway, in Liberty County. History 
relates that on 6th of December, 1752 Mr. Benjamin Baker and family and 
Mr. Samuel Bacon and family arrived at Midway and proceeded to form 
a settlement. (White’s Statistics of Georgia, p. 370.) Wallace and Edwin 
were first cousins of Senator A. 0. Bacon, who, earl’y orphaned, was reared 
in their father’s home. Julia Bacon (Mrs. Jim Osburn), daughter of Dr. 
and Mrs. W. W. Bacon, was a member of the Tift household for a time 
when she taught school in Tifton, when a young woman just out of college. 
Belle Willingham, Bess’s sister, made her home with Bessie for several 
years prior to her marriage. Bessie’s mother, Cecilia Willingham, made her 
home with Bessie from a few years after Bessie’s father’s death until 
Cecilia died. 

All three of Bessie’s sons married. Henry, Jr. married charming Vir¬ 
ginia Pound, daughter of J. B. Pound, of Chattanooga; Willingham mar¬ 
ried lovely blond Catherine Terrell, niece of former Governor Terrell, of 
Georgia; Amos married beautiful Titian haired Lutrelle McLennard, who 
is a ministering angel to the bereaved when death visits a household. 
Bess took great joy in her grandchildren, Henry’s and Virginia’s Virginia 
and Henry III; Willingham’s and Catherine’s Catherine Hill and Thomas 
Willingham, Jr.; and Amos’s and Lutrelle’s children, Lutrelle, Amos Tift 
V, and David Tift. 

Bess was deeply interested in Tifton’s growth, and she was delighted 
whenever a new building was erected. It made her happy when Henr’y, 
Jr., built his pretty bungalow, and next to it Amos, his. It pleased her 
when Willingham put up a number of houses for sale, and store buildings, 
and when Amos erected business edifices. It pleased her, too, that Henry, 
Jr. took great interest in Tifton’s civic affairs, and was in demand as a 
speaker at club meetings and at the college in the founding of which his 
father took prominent part. She loved the park which Henry had given to 
Tifton. 

In February of 1922 Bess saw her beloved husband, Henry, Sr., buried, 
at Mystic, Connecticut, whither a large group of sorrowing relatives and 
friends took his body to be placed, according to his request, in his native 
soil. 

After Henry, Sr.’s death, Bess leaned more and more upon her son, 
Henry, Jr., ever loving and considerate of her welfare and happiness. She 


480 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


derived happiness also from the companionship of her beloved sister Florie, 
whom Bess called her “Other Self.” Florie and Will, after his retirement 
because of failing health were making their home in Tifton, and Bess and 
Florie saw each other ever'y day. 

Bess bravely accepted giving up her precious Henry, Jr., who was tragi¬ 
cally killed in an automobile accident. He died June 13, 1929, at Tifton. 
Florie lived only a short time after this. She died December 2, 1930. Bess 
also in the time soon after this gave up two brothers claimed by death. 
Will, and Baynard. Through all of this sorrow she continued in the sweet¬ 
ness which had endeared her to all. She progressed also in spirituality and 
in consecration, which made her life a power in its influence for good. 

Bessie Tift died at dawn, Tuesday, December 8, 1936 in her bedroom of 
the home that Big Henry had built for her. Willingham and Amos were 
with her when she went, as were her sister Pearl, her daughters-in-law, 
Lutrelle and Catherine, her brothers-in-law, Irvine Myers and Will Law¬ 
rence, her nieces, Telie Daniel Fleetwood, Marguerite Myers and Bessie 
Belle Pickard. Telie’s husband, Shine Fleetwood was present, and a trained 
nurse, and Dr. Carlton Fleming. 

In another room in the house lay desperately ill Marion Ragan, who with 
her mother, Mrs. Dan Ragan, had been Bessie’s companions since Bessie’s 
grandchildren had been away at school and her sons were living in their 
own homes. 

In Bessie’s room the fire, forgotten, burned low in the big fire place. In 
the garden outside birds sent up a chorus of song, a strange, excited and 
unwonted persistent twittering. When the doctor announced that Bessie 
was dead, the sorrowing loved ones passed about the bed, a weeping pro¬ 
cession, each pausing for the last farewell. Willingham and Amos, shaken 
by silent sobs, turned away from the bed where their mother lay and placed 
their arms about each other’s shoulders. One of them said: “Let’s say the 
Lord’s Prayer. She would want it so!” All joined in the familiar, blessed 
words of our Lord Jesus: 

“Our Father, who art in Heaven. 

Hallowed be Thy name. 

Thy kingdom come; 

Th'y will be done 
On earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day 
Our daily bread; 

And forgive us our debts 
As we forgive our debtors. 

Lead us not into temptation 
But deliver us from evil. 

Thine is the kingdom, 

The power and the glory. 

Amen.” 

Funeral services for Bessie Tift were held at the First Baptist Church, 
Tifton. Burial was in Tifton Cemetery, by her beloved first-born son, Henry 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


481 


Tift, Jr. Bessie’s pastor, Dr. Orion Mixon, conducted the services at the 
church and at the grave, and he was assisted by Dr. Aquila Chamlee, Pres¬ 
ident of Bessie Tift College, and two former pastors, Dr. C. W. Durden, of 
Charlotte, North Carolina, and Dr. F. C. McConnell. Present was a dele¬ 
gation of faculty members and students from Bessie Tift College. 

All of Tifton and a host of friends elsewhere mourned Bessie’s passing; 
for all felt somewhat as did an old friend who said of her: “She was the 
sweetest person I ever knew.” 

Indeed, to her family, Bess was long known as “Sweet Bess.” 

HENRY HARDING TIFT, JR. 

Henry Harding Tift, Jr., eldest of three sons of Henr'y Harding Tift, 
Tifton’s founder, and Bessie Willingham Tift, was born October 1, 1886, 
in a private Pullman car, in, or near, Washington, D. C. when Bessie was 
coming to Tifton from her husband’s old home, Mystic, Conn., where she and 
Henry, Sr. had spent the summer. 

Henry, Sr. and Bessie, rejoicing at the advent of the fine boy, gave, as a 
thank offering, $1,000.00 to Baptist Foreign Missions. 

Early the child’s Christian education began. He received also public 
speaking instruction. Though not yet nine years old at the time of the 
laying of the corner stone of the Tifton Baptist Church in 1895, he took 
part in the ceremon'y. After an inclement Sunday, Monday was bright and 
beautiful and the Baptists had a fair day for laying the corner stone of 
their edifice. At the exercises, music was led by Miss Ella Bacon and Prof. 
E. J. Williams. The address was by the Reverend E. Z. F. Golden, of Cuth- 
bert. Miss Gertrude Patrick recited. Dr. J. B. Gambrell, Macon, President 
of Mercer University, and Messrs. B. T. Allen, Carswell, and Cole spoke. 
Master Henry Tift, in behalf of the Little Helpers, having laid the corner 
stone solid and firm, pronounced it “ ‘well and truly laid’.” 

This was the brick church, with amber colored windows, on North Park 
Avenue, and now used by the Presbyterians. When first built it had a spire 
140 feet high. The contractor was John C. Hind, from Ontario, Canada, and 
Tifton’s earliest contractor and builder. Henr’y, Sr., had given much of the 
cost of the church, of which his beloved wife, Bessie, was one of the charter 
members. Henry, Jr., attended Tifton public schools under W. L. Harmon 
and Jason Scarboro. He then entered Mercer University. There he became 
a close friend of Bobo Murray, nephew of the distinguished Greek scholar, 
Dr. John Scott Murray, for quarter of a century professor of Greek at 
Mercer, and later at Furman. Henry and Bobo one summer toured Europe 
together. This was a rollicking, happy journey. This was Bobo’s first Euro¬ 
pean travel but he subsequently took numerous other trips, conducting 
large parties on European tours. Later Bobo was professor of French at 
Mercer where he taught when Henry’s uncle, W. L. Pickard, was presi¬ 
dent of Mercer. Henry became a Mercer trustee. Later Bobo went as consul 
to South America, where he died soon after arrival. 

At Mercer both Henry and Bobo were Phi Delta Thetas. 

After graduation from Mercer in 1906, Henry Tift, Jr. attended Eastman 


482 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Business College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. While playing ice hockey there he 
fell and received a severe blow on his head. However, he continued his 
studies and graduated. 

Henry, Sr. and Bess were delighted at Henry, Jr.’s decision to locate in 
Tifton. He took a position with the Tifton Cotton Mills, of which Henry, 
Sr. was president. Henry, Jr. was doing well but one hot summer da'y while 
at the mill he suddenly fell over in a fainting spell, the first indication that 
the severe blow received the previous winter had caused a permanent in¬ 
jury. From then on life was an alternation of apparent good health and 
serious illness, but Henry was diligent and enterprising in business in 
which he was markedly successful; and his was a radiant personality which 
endeared to him many friends. Bessie Tift had a first cousin, Caroline 
Willingham, who became second wife of Jerome Balaam Pound, of Chat¬ 
tanooga, Tenn. J. B. Pound, by his first wife, has several daughters, of 
whom one, Virginia, was a person of rare sweetness and charm. Henry 
Tift, Jr., and Virginia Pound were married in Chattanooga, November 4, 
1914. 

To Virginia and Henr'y Tift, Jr. were born two children, Virginia (called 
“Prec”), born at Tifton, December 10, 1915, and Henry Tift III, born Feb¬ 
ruary 4, 1917, at Tifton. 

Henry, Jr., built for his wife, whom little Prec called “Big Dolly,” a 
large bungalow on College Street. Next door Amos, Henry, Jr.’s brother, 
built one for his beautiful wife, Lutrelle. 

Henry, Jr. also had a large and valuable farm (now the Fulwood Plant 
Farms) and he owned extensive acreage on the Alapaha River, on the bank 
of which he built a large cabin, the scene of numerous merry-makings when 
he and his friends repaired there for an evening following a supper of 
freshly caught fish. 

When Henry and Virginia had been married onl'y a few years Virginia 
became ill. She was taken for her health to North Carolina but instead of 
improving she died there in 1918. She is buried on the Pound lot, Chatta¬ 
nooga. Henry, grief-stricken, moved his two babies to the home of his 
parents where they were reared by his mother. The Lennon Bowens moved 
into the Henry Tift bungalow. 

The first automobile in Tifton was owned by Mr. Johns, of Tifton 
Heights. He had the car for hire. Henry, Jr. was one of Mr. Johns’ best 
patrons. At the St. Louis Exposition Henry was greatly interested in the 
automobile displa'y. He urged his father to buy a car, which Henry, Sr. did. 
His was the first private automobile in Tifton. 

Later Henry, Jr. always had a beautiful car. He also went in to the 
automobile business and had an automobile agency. He was an excellent 
driver and enjoyed high speed. He liked to drive, but because he was often 
ill he usually took his colored chauffeur, Jeff Mathis, with him and if 
Henry felt ill Jeff would drive. 

Henr'y attended an automobile show in New York City, and greatly en¬ 
joyed it. At the time of the Glidden Tour in interest of better roads, he 
hastened all the way from New England in order to drive in the procession 
of cars on the tour. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


483 


Henry was greatly beloved in Tifton, and was much in command as a 
public speaker. He was a member of Tifton Chamber of Commerce and 
at one meeting said that Tifton should have an airport and he offered the 
use of some of his land to be used as a landing field. This was in a day 
when aviation was not so general as it now is. 

Henry, Jr. loved the beautiful virgin growth pines and he was happy 
over his father’s gift of Fulwood Park to the city. He also loved roses, 
perhaps because from earliest childhood he had seen beautiful and choice 
ones in his mother’s garden and in that of his next door neighbor, J. L. 
Pickard, who was a great lover of roses. Henry, Jr. gave funds with which 
to buy rose bushes for the establishment of a rose garden in Fullwood Park. 

“Now,” said Henry, “everybody can enjoy the pine trees and everybody 
can enjoy roses.” 

Like his great and good father, Henry was generous hearted. The first 
dormitory at the Tallulah Falls School was made of lumber donated b’y 
Henry, Sr., and it was built by the students with tools bought with $250.00 
donated by Henry, Jr. 

Like his father also was Henry, Jr. in his great interest in the Second 
District Agricultural School. On June 11, 1929, Prof. S. L. Lewis, presi¬ 
dent of the school, was to be presented a gold watch in appreciation of his 
work at the college. Henry, Jr. made the speech of presentation at exer¬ 
cises held in the auditorium of the Tifton High School. Bess attended, and 
later left for Bessie Tift College, to attend a mission meeting. Henry, Jr. 
drove her to the train. He had a brand new, beautiful car. 

Next day Henry, Jr. did not feel very well, but he was enjoying his new 
car so much that he did not get Jeff to drive, but drove it himself. He 
liked to feel the engine respond to his slightest touch. 

When after supper, he left the house, his namesake, Henry III, wished 
to go with him as far as Aunt Florie Pickard’s where their cousin, “Kew- 
pie,” had arrived that day for a visit. Henry, Jr. let Henry III out there, 
and then drove on. He turned and drove up Sixth Street. He did not take 
the familiar turn onto College Avenue where he and Virginia had been 
so happy. He drove on past, straight out Sixth Street. At the end of the 
street instead of making the turn the car shot forward at a terrific speed. 
There was a splintering crash. The car telescoped against a giant pine tree. 

Those who rushed to the scene found Henry’s body completely crushed. 
He was still alive, though unconscious. Dr. N. Peterson, hastily summoned, 
rushed to his aid but said afterward that there probably was not a bone 
in Henry’s body that was not broken. Henry was taken to the Coastal 
Plain Hospital. By God’s mercy Henry died without ever regaining con¬ 
sciousness. He died in the first minutes of the morning of June 13, 1929. 

All of Tifton mourned Henry’s passing. His personality had been one 
of rare radiance, and his spirit was ever one of generosity and thoughtful 
and loving service to others. 

' Burial was in Tifton cemetery, where a lone pine stands sentinel near 
where he sleeps. 

“Henry always loved the pine trees,” said Bess, one Easter day after 


484 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


she had placed at the head of Henry’s resting place some Easter lilies sent 
by Henry III. Henry III was at Harvard where he was studying to be a 
physician. 


AMOS CHAPMAN TIFT 

Amos Chapman Tift, third son of Bessie Willingham Tift and Henry 
Harding Tift, Tifton’s founder, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, August 24. 
1891. 

A member of the First Baptist Church of Tifton, he was for a great 
many years song leader in the First Baptist Sunday School, of which 
also he was a loyal and faithful and useful member. 

Amos attended Tifton public schools and the Virginia Military Institute, 
and graduated from Mercer University. There he was a Phi Delta Theta. 
Also he was 1911 manager of the Mercer Cauldron and in 1912 he was 
prominent in baseball. 

Amos Tift was wont to spend the summers with his parents at their 
summer home, Mystic, Connecticut, where he learned to handle a boat 
skillfully, and grew to love the water. 

Returning to Tifton after graduation from Mercer, Amos engaged in 
the automobile and garage business and erected some of Tifton’s hand¬ 
somest business edifices. He also has farming and other real estate interests. 

On July 5, 1918 Amos Tift married beautiful Titian-haired Lutrelle Mc¬ 
Lennan, daughter of David Charles and Lina Roberson McLennan, the 
Reverend Ward performing the ceremony at Bainbridge, Georgia. 

Of this union are three children, Lutrelle Tift, born April 15, 1919: 
married Homer Meade Rankin (born New Orleans ) ; 

Amos Chapman Tift, born January 19, 1921; 

David Harding Tift, born December 19, 1923. 

All were born in Tifton and all served in the armed forces of their 
country during World War II. Prior to the war, and after her graduation 
from the University of Georgia, Lutrelle, Jr., was founder and editor of 
a weekly newspaper at St. Simons Island, “The St. Simons Star.” 

Amos built and for many years occupied a house on College Avenue, 
but after his mother’s death he bought and moved into the H. H. Tift 
homestead on Second Street, where he now lives. He owns a summer home 
at St. Simons Island. 

His love of the water and water sports has influenced him to have a 
large part in the construction of the old swimming pool which through the 
years has furnished a wholesome recreation for Tifton people and he has 
been one of the most generous donors to the fund for the construction of 
the new swimming pool, also he has built two beautiful artificial lakes 
near Tifton, Tift’s Pond, now called Lake Mary, after Mary Carmichael, 
the beautiful deceased daughter of the present owners of the lake, Mr. and 
Mrs. Homer Carmichael; and another lake not far from the Ocilla Road 
near Tifton. This is as yet unnamed. 

A friendly, kind man of few words, Amos combines many of the excellent 



THOMAS WILLINGHAM TIFT, of Atlanta and Tifton 
Large owner of Tifton property and oldest son of Tifton’s founder 




486 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


traits of both his parents. He is a trustee of Bessie Tift College and is 
a member of the Tifton City Commission. He enjoys golf and is a mem¬ 
ber of the Tifton Country Club. 

All three of Mr. and Mrs. Amos Tift’s children have returned safely from 
the war, though Amos, Jr. was in the European Theatre of Operations, and 
David was in the hazardous undersea duty in the far Pacific. They are 
now with their parents in the old Tift homestead, and Lutrelle, Jr. is mar¬ 
ried and lives next door. 

THOMAS WILLINGHAM TIFT 

Thomas Willingham Tift, second son of Henry Harding Tift, Tifton's 
founder, and Bessie Willingham Tift, was born September 15, 1889 at 
Albany, Georgia, at the home of Bessie’s sister, Julia Bacon, where Henry 
had taken Bess that she might be under the care of Julia’s husband, Dr. 
Wallace Winn Bacon, an eminent physician. The child spent his boyhood 
in Tifton where he was called Willingham, but at Mercer University, from 
which he was graduated in 1910, he was called Tommie. At Mercer he room¬ 
ed with Ralph Bailey, clergyman and writer, who married Tommie’s cousin, 
Julia Baynard Pickard. At Mercer, Tommie was a Phi Delta Theta. After 
graduation from Mercer he went to Yale where he was graduated from the 
Law School, in 1912. 

Mr. Tift possesses great business acumen and he engaged in farming 
interests near Tifton, and also built a number of houses and stores in Tifton, 
some for rent, some for sale. 

April 16, 1921, at Greenville, Georgia, his uncle, Dr. W. L. Pickard, per¬ 
forming the ceremony, he was married to Catherine Hill Terrell, daughter 
of Dr. Terrell, and a niece of former Governor Terrell, of Georgia. She 
had been a room-mate at Washington Seminary, Atlanta, of Dr. Pickard’s 
daughter, Elizabeth Belle, name-sake of Willingham’s mother and of Eliz¬ 
abeth’s and Tommie’s Aunt Belle. 

In addition to his Tifton holdings Willingham Tift acquired valuable 
interests in Atlanta and moved there to make his home. He continues to 
have large Tifton holdings and makes frequent sojourns there where he 
maintains a country home. 

Willingham Tift is president of the Westside Land Co., Chattanooga, 
Tenn.; president of the Piedmont Cotton Mills, Egan, Georgia; vice-pres¬ 
ident of the Bank of Tifton; president of the Tifton Chennille Co.; is a 
director of the Willingham-Tift Lumber Co., Atlanta; is a member of the 
Board of Trustees of Bessie Tift College, which is named for his mother; 
is on the Board of Trustees of the Tifton Investment Co. 

Willingham Tift is a member of the First Baptist Church of Tifton, of 
which his mother was a charter member and to which his father gave the 
original church site, and which Willingham joined in early boyhood. 

Willingham Tift is a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club; the Capitol 
City Club; Atlanta Piedmont Driving Club; Tifton Country Club. 

Thomas Willingham Tift and Catherine Terrell Tift have two children: 
Catherine Hill Tift and Thomas Willingham Tift, Jr. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


487 


Catherine Hill Tift was born Atlanta, Georgia, July 15, 1922, and mar¬ 
ried James Tinsley Porter, December 7, 1945. 

Thomas Willingham Tift, Jr. was born January 8, 1927. He is a cadet 
at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. 

WILLIAM ORVILLE TIFT 

William Orville Tift was the second son of Amos and Phoebe Harding 
Tift born in Mystic, Conn, in the year 1843. He was educated in the Mystic 
public school and joined the Army at the age of nineteen. 

At the close of the War he took a position as purser with the Mallory 
Steamship Lines sailing to Galveston, Texas and Key West, where his 
uncle, Asa, had gone some years before. 

In Texas, he made connections and went into the business of cattle 
raising, and became the junior partner on one of the largest cattle ranches 
in the state. 

In the meantime he had married Eliza Catherine Mallory, eldest daughter 
of David and Sarah Stark Mallory, also of M'ystic, Conn. She was born 
in the year 1848, also in Mystic. All went well with the young couple until 
one summer when yellow fever broke out in Galveston and a tidal wave 
swept hundreds of head of cattle into the Gulf. This meant the failure of 
the firm. 

In the meantime his brother, Henry Harding Tift, had come to South 
Georgia and sent for him to join him. It took great courage, for at that 
time South Georgia was virgin territory; there was nothing Fere but the 
pine woods,—no schools, no churches save the little log cabins where the 
Primitive Baptists and Primitive Methodists held forth. I have heard 
my mother say that, unless she had guests, six months would go b'y and 
she wouldldn’t see a white face save that of Uncle Henry, Father and Mr. 
Hall, who was overseer of the saw mill. 

But they stayed, believing in the future of this part of the state. 

My father was a visionary—he saw that the state must get away from 
cotton, and he introduced tobacco, peaches and grapes into what is now 
Tift County. He planted most of the trees in Tifton and believed in its 
future. 

He died in 1909 of hardening of the arteries, in M'ystic, Conn., in the 
house where he was born. 

His wife survived him by a number of years. 

Two children were born of their union—a son, William Orville Tift, Jr., 
and a daughter, Katherine Stark Tift. 

(Editor’s Note: Mrs. Katherine Stark Tift Jones, the writer of 
the above sketch of her parents, has established a wide reputation 
as a gifted reader, particularly of Negro dialect sketches. She is 
a radio speaker, and at present is with the Tifton broadcasting 
station.) 


488 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


WILLIAM WHITFIELD TIMMONS 
(Contributed) 

William Whitfield Timmons, who was born in Marion County, South 
Carolina on July 15, 1852, moved to Tifton (then Berrien County) in July, 
1891. He and his wife, the former Mary Frances McWhite, to whom he 
was married on December 27, 1876, first lived in a house on the corner of 
Love Avenue and Second Street. After this house burned with all its con¬ 
tents in 1904, he bought the house immediately next door on the north side. 

After moving to Tifton, he spent the rest of his life engaged in the pro¬ 
duction of turpentine. He was in this business, which was on a large scale, 
both singly and in partnership. He also owned and operated several farms 
of considerable size. Mr. Timmons was one of the important men of his 
time and section: he was public spirited, generous, and active in anything 
for the good of his community. He was a Mason, a member of the Tifton 
Lodge, and of the Baptist Church, and was for twenty years prior to his 
death, Chairman of the Baptist Board of Deacons. He served as council¬ 
man for several years in Tifton and was at one time mayor of the city. 
He was in every respect a good citizen who died in 1924 with the love of 
all who knew him. 


ELIAS L. VICKERS 

Elias L. Vickers, son of Henry Vickers, a farmer, and his wife, Ellen 
Sears Vickers, was born June 21, 1861, in a large six or seven-room log 
house on his father’s farm in Coffee County about six miles west of 
Douglas. In this house red-haired Elias lived for several years and there 
were born to his parents several other children before the family moved 
into a new clapboard house built in front of the older log house. 

An alligator bit Elias’s leg when the boy was ten, and it was a problem 
to know how to extract the leg from the creature’s jaws without hurting 
the boy more than he was already hurt. Finally a fire was placed under the 
reptile’s jaws, and when he then opened them a rope was slung around the 
upper jaw to prevent him again closing his mouth and the boy’s leg was 
thus freed. Mrs. Vickers insisted that the alligator’s head be cut off, which 
was done, but he walked about without his head and this horrible and 
gruesome sight haunted Elias even when he was grown; also, even when he 
was grown he carried the scars made by the teeth of the creature. He said 
he was not so much hurt as that the pressure was terrific and the blood 
circulation was cut off, so that he felt numb. 

Elias after finishing the schools near Douglas went to Eastman Business 
College, at Poughkeepsie, New York. Thereafter he went to Willacoochee 
where he engaged in turpentining. There he met Charles Goodman, son of 
Dr. J. C. Goodman, later a well-known Tifton physician. Elias met Charles’s 
sister, Mary Etta Goodman, who was living with her parents at Jackson¬ 
ville, Georgia. The Goodmans soon after this moved to Tifton and there 
Elias Vickers and Mary Etta Goodman were married, the first couple to 
be married in the little white chapel, then newly built and Tifton’s only 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


m 


church edifice, the same now known as Bessie Tift Chapel, but at that time 
it stood near the present site of the Methodist church. Later, Etta’s sister, 
Harriet, and George Evans were the last couple to be married in this 
church before it was moved to the mill village. 

About 1894 Mr. Vickers had a large house built for his family at 315 
West Sixth Street, the same now owned by Mrs. Briggs Carson, Sr. It 
was built by S. G. Slack and was then and still is one of Tifton’s most 
beautiful and interesting residences. It was at one time occupied by Mrs. 
T. 0. B. Wood, sister of Bessie Tift. Elias Vickers also built homes for 
his family at Arabi and at Old Field. He had turpentine stills at those 
places and at Adel, and at Panama City, Florida. Mr. Vickers moved his 
family to Tifton in 1910. 

When the Vickers house was built it stood in a woodland, and there were 
only two houses between it and the home of the Goodmans on Central 
Avenue and Second Street. The two houses were the C. W. Fulwood house, 
and the Dinamore house, then occupied by a Northern man who tended 
the fruit at Cycloneta. 

At the Vickers’s house was written, b'y a friend of Mr. Vickers, a book 
entitled “The Negro Is a Man,” written to offset the then recently pub¬ 
lished book, “The Negro Is a Beast,” which book sorely angered Mr. Vick¬ 
ers, who loved the negroes and would never work convict labor as was 
sometimes customary at that time among turpentine men. 

Elias Vickers invented what is said to have been the first turpentine 
cup to fit a tree. Formerly the trees had merely had a trough cut in them. 
Vickers’s cups were first made of wood, later of papier-mache. 

In 1910 Elias and his family moved to Macon, where they lived on a 
farm across the Spring Street bridge. There, on December 14, 1910 his 
daughter, Ruth, was married to Paul Fulwood, of Tifton. Later Elias sold 
the farm, and lived in the old Joe Hill Hall place in Macon, where he 
continued until his son, John had graduated from Georgia Tech. Mr. Vickers 
live in Atlanta for a while. 

Another son, Hawkins Ladson Vickers, had a position with the Ballard 
Plant Company, at Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Mr. and Mrs. Elias Vickers 
moved to Hattiesburg in 1925. There Mr. Vickers died September 7, 1933. 
He is buried in the Tifton cemetery. 

Mr. Vickers was a staunch Methodist. He was a trustee of Sparks Col¬ 
legiate Institute, at Sparks, Georgia, and of Wesley Memorial Hospital, 
until it was consolidated with Emory University. He was a lay leader of 
the South Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church. 

Mrs. Vickers, Mary Etta Goodman, was born March 10, 1866, at Somer- 
ton, Virginia. She was graduated from Wesle’yan College. She died at Char¬ 
lotte, North Carolina, April 28, 1947. Burial was at Tifton. 

To Elias and Mary Etta G. Vickers were born ten children. Those who 
survive are Mrs. P. D. Fulwood of Tifton; Mrs. E. H. Cardwell, Mrs. Paul 
Bankston, Miami; Mrs. S. J. Evans, Washington; John H. Vickers, Char¬ 
lotte, North Carolina; Hawkins L. Vickers, Hattiesburg, Miss. 

Mrs. W. L. Harman, of Tifton, is a sister of Mrs. Vickers. Another 
sister, Mrs. W. M. Thurman, died March, 1947. 


490 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


JONATHAN WALKER 

Hezikiah, Jonathan, Jack and Wash Walker came from South Carolina 
to Irwin County in the early days of Irwin County. 

Of the above, Jack was living near Bones Mill Pond (now Crystal 
Lake) during the War Between the States. Jack married Sarah (Sabry) 
Clements, sister of Abraham Clements, of Irwin County. Jack’s and Sarah’s 
children were: Abram, John, Sarah, Melanchthon, who was called Dink, 
Jim, Joe, Sam, Rachel, Jane, and Jonathon. 

Bones Mill Pond was one of the most picturesque inland bodies of water 
to be found. Its waters are of an amazing clarity, and though far from the 
coast, the hard sandy beach is as dazzling in whiteness as the ocean strand. 
The whole is surrounded by a dense forest wherein are choice and rare 
flora. In one place near the lake is a peat bog, in another the trembling 
earth. In still another place beneath the near Stygian shade of forest 
giants the water is unfathomed. This weird, secluded, dangerous and dark 
water is known as Devil’s Den. 

During those troublous times of war the sad plight of runaway slaves 
was one of the gravest problems of the time. One such was known to be 
at large, and Jack saw him on his neighbor’s land, near the lake. Jack 
went to capture the slave, but Jack and his neighbor became engaged in 
a struggle and Jack disappeared, as also did the Negro. Later Jack’s body 
was found buried near the lake edge, and irate citizens seized and tried 
the owner of the lake and hanged him to a limb of a tall oak tree which 
still stands a gaunt, bare, white skeleton of a dead tree rising spectre-like 
above the lesser trees of the forest. 

A mere lad at the time of his father’s death, Jonathan Walker, born 
February 12 (or 7), 1852, grew to manhood in his native Irwin County. 
On February 23, 1881, he married Margaret Fletcher, called Gaily, daugh¬ 
ter of Black Jim Fletcher, Irwin County’s representative to the Legisla¬ 
ture. Gaily was born January 6, 1862. She was niece of Elbert Fletcher, 
whose son Danny Fletcher married Mattie Churchwell. Gally’s mother was 
Melissa Paulk. 

Jonathan Walker and Gaily settled on a large plantation which he 
cleared in the pine wilderness. He farmed, cut timber and ran a grist mill. 
Also he owned a wooded tract on the Alapaha river where he loved to fish. 
This place he sold to a corporation which in 1912 formed the Country Club 
at Gun Lake, of which Jonathan was a charter member. The club has 
numbered among its membership some of the most prominent citizens of 
the county. 

An accident left Jonathan Walker crippled, but despite this his was a 
sunny, cheerful disposition, and his was a large circle of friends. Jonathan 
died at his plantation home near Tifton, October 1, 1917. To him and Gaily 
were born four children: Alice (Mrs. George Edd Clements); Edna (Mrs. 
W. B. Hitchcock) ; Kate (married first, Robert Land; second, Loften Hitch¬ 
cock; third, George Paulk) ; James, who married and has several children, 
of whom Elsie was voted the prettiest girl in the Senior Class at Tifton 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


491 


High School in 1942. James Walker is Sheriff of Tift County. He loves 
to shoot and often in season brings home a fat deer, and he, his family 
and friends have a feast of venison. 

THE WARRENS 

William Warren was the first of the Warren family to locate in what 
is now Tift County. He was born in Irwin County, December 8, 1846, and 
was son of George Washington Warren, Sr., and Sallie Ross Warren, both 
of Irwin County. George and Sallie Warren are buried on the Macajah 
Young private burial ground, Tift County. Micajah Young’s mother was 
Hester, a sister of William Warren. 

Children of George and Sallie Ross Warren were William, who married 
Sarah Clements; James, who married Martha Gibbs (an aunt of Earl 
Gibbs, clerk of Superior Court of Tift County) ; Lott, who married Millie 
Sumner, of Irwin County; George Washington, Jr., who married Ellen 
Fox, of Tifton (their daughter married William Bruce Donaldson, Sr., 
father of Bruce Donaldson, Jr., of Tifton) ; Bettsie Warren, who married 
William Sumner, of near Moultrie; Hester Warren who married first, 
Macajah Young; and second, Aaron Tyson; Sallie Warren, who married 
Allen Gibbs (a brother of Martha) ; Pollie, who married Reverend James 
Gibbs, Primitive Baptist Elder, who was at Hickory Springs Church and 
other churches. Polly and James Gibbs are buried at Hickory Springs. 

Wm. Warren and Sarah Clements (born July 7, 1851) were married 
January 6, 1870 and came to what was then Worth but now is Tift County. 
Sarah was a sister of R. Walton Clements, father of Judge James Clements 
who deeded to Georgia the land which comprises the Jefferson Davis Na¬ 
tional Park, which project came into being largely through the untiring 
efforts of Mrs. Ralph Johnston, of Tifton, formerly of Ocilla. William, a 
farmer, lived on the place where he settled soon after his marriage until 
his death there, May 3, 1914. Sarah died Tuesday night, March 30, 1909. 
Burial was at Hickory Springs, where Elder James Gibbs conducted the 
services. 

To William and Sarah Clements Warren were born the following chil¬ 
dren: George Washington Warren, born Irwin County, May 5, 1872; died 
July 26, 1872. Lott Warren, born Irwin County, July 19, 1873; died July, 
1875. William Jelks Warren, born Worth County, April 2, 1875; Lula Alice 
Warren, born Worth County, August 7, 1877 (Mrs. Will W. Willis, of 
Willacoochee) ; Luna Warren, born Worth County, February 11, 1880 (Mrs. 
John Henry Pitts, of Tifton); Thomas Lawrence Warren, born Worth 
County, June 10, 1882; Lillie Warren, born Worth County, June 17, 1884 
(Mrs. George Washington Peters, of Tifton). 

William Jelks Warren has for many years been tax collector of Tift 
County. 

Jimmie Clements was one of six brothers of Sarah Clements Warren. 
Jimmie married Sarah Henderson, and was prominent in the life of earl'y 
Tifton where he leased the Hotel Sadie from Captain John Phillips, who 
built it. Sarah Clements Warren also had four sisters. 


492 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


WILLIAM WILEY LaFAYETTE WEBB 

William Wiley LaFayette Webb, son of James I. Webb and Mary Sandi- 
fer Webb, was born in Crawford County, Georgia, April 25, 1838. He 
grew up on his father’s farm, moved to Sumter County in 1846 and to Dooly 
County in 1858. To most people he was known as W. W. Webb. 

On March 4, 1862 at Vienna, W. W. Webb joined Company C, under 
Captain W. C. Carter, 4th Regiment of Georgia Volunteers, of the Con¬ 
federate Army. He was mustered into service at Griffin, left Ma'y, 1862, and 
the first battle in which he took part was the Seven Days Battle at Rich¬ 
mond. Next he was in the second Battle of Manassas, then at Harper’s 
Ferry, next at Chancellorsville, and he was in the terrific Battle of Gettys¬ 
burg, the bloodiest battle of the war. At Gettysburg he was shot and 
wounded, one finger being burst by a minnie ball. After a brief furlough 
he was in the Battle of the Wilderness, on the Plank Road, May 6, 1864. 
In this engagement he was shot in the heel and the heel string was cut 
one third. After two months in a hospital he returned to service and was 
in the Battle of Petersburg and Weldon Railroad. On July 31, 1864 he 
fought in his last battle when the mines were sprung in front of Peters¬ 
burg. Thereafter he was confined by rheumatism to a hospital, received a 
furlough, at the end of which he reported to a hospital at Macon, where 
he was pronounced disabled for service. Sent to a Fort Valley Hospital, 
he was transferred thence to a hospital at Eufaula in order to make room 
at Fort Valley for the wounded. He remained at Eufaula until the end of 
the war. He was paroled in May or June, 1865. 

On February 28, 1865 W. W. Webb married Miss Laura Daniels. Of this 
union were four children: Joseph T., Ella Assenith, James I., Jr., L. Timo¬ 
thy. Laura Daniels Webb died June 16, 1873. 

On August 20, 1876 W. W. Webb married Sarah Catherine Sinclair, at 
the Sinclair homestead two miles north of Tifton. She was daughter of Dr. 
Robert D. Sinclair and Mary Culpepper Sinclair. Of this union were eleven 
children: William E., John T., Henry D., Thomas T., Robert F., Mary C., 
Margaret E., Louise Lee, Elias L., Jacy J., George G. Of these Henry D. 
was for man'y years clerk of the Superior Court of Tift County. He also 
was for many years chairman of the Board of Deacons of the First Bap¬ 
tist Church; and he is secretary of the Country Club, at Gun Lake. Elias 
and George engage in the plant business on a large scale, and have other 
business interests in Tifton, where they are well known and highly re¬ 
garded. Elias was for a time secretary and treasurer of the Tift County 
Historical Society. Also he is on man'y committees of the First Baptist 
Church of Tifton. 

W. W. Webb was ordained to the Baptist ministry in 1870. He served at 
Lake View, Staunton, both in what is now Cook County; Macedonia, in 
what is now Turner County; Willacoochee, in what is now Atkinson. 

Mr. Webb moved to Irwin County in February, 1878, and to near the 
Tifton site that fall. In what is now Tift County he served Zion Hope, Mt. 
Zion, Mt. Olive, Liberty; in Berrien County he served at Enigma, Alapaha, 
and at Brushy Creek. 


.HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


493 


His was a service of deed as well as of word. Many times he walked 
from his farm south of Tifton to his church many miles north of Tifton, 
and when one church was in the building he helped carry the logs and set 
them in place. His influence for good cannot be expressed in words. He 
it was who constituted the First Baptist Crurch of Tifton, in 1888, when 
about a dozen Baptists met in a small frame building used in Tifton as a 
place for all types of public meetings, before a real church edifice was 
constructed here. About a dozen Baptists banded together to form the 
Baptist Church. These were the Reverend and Mrs. W. W. Webb, Mr. and 
Mrs. B. T. Allen, Bessie W. Tift, Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Youmans, Mrs. Adams, 
and several others. Soon after this meeting, this meeting place was de¬ 
stroyed by fire, and not long thereafter Henry Tift gave a site on which 
a church was built to be used by all denominations. This formerly stood 
about where the post office is, but nearer to where the present Methodist 
Chur'ch is, and the building was that now known as Bessie Tift Chapel, 
in the mill village, where it was moved b'y Henry Tift after the Methodists 
built a new edifice. (See article on Henry Tift.) 

W. W. Webb died on July 5, 1917, and burial was the following day at 
Zion Hope. Of him has been said “As a soldier, minister and citizen, he 
measured to the full statue of a man.” 

WHIDDON FAMILY 
By Mrs. Clifford Whiddon 

James W. Whiddon, son of Juda Dominey Whiddon and Lott Whiddon. 
was born April 20, 1834, in a settlement since named Sycamore, Ga. His 
father, Lott Whiddon, came from South Carolina to Emanuel County, 
Georgia, where he married and later moved to Sycamore, Georgia. Lott 
Whiddon served with Company F, 59th Georgia Regiment in the War Be¬ 
tween the States, and died of fever, near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 1863. 
His was the first grave in Hickory Springs Cemetery. In 1796, James W. 
Whiddon’s mother, Juda Dominey Whiddon, was given a small sycamore 
limb, used as a riding switch, by a man who spent the night in their home. 
She planted that switch and it grew. Thus the town of Sycamore received 
its name. The old dead stump of the tree stands today. 

James W. Whiddon was the youngest boy in a family of nine children. 
When a small boy he lost one eye while he was threading an old-time home¬ 
made, harmonium. He played the harmonium well. My great-grandfather. 
James W. Whiddon was married to Lucy Branch, April 10, 1856, in Water¬ 
loo, by Mr. Abram Clements. Thirteen children were born to this union. 
They lived in Waterloo for twelve years, then moved nine miles south of 
Sycamore to the Whiddon Mill home, a log house built near the mill in 
1868. This 1500-acre tract of land was purchased from Mr. Jesse Sumner. 
Here, great-grandfather, with the help of his two oldest boys, John and 
William, built a dam on what is known as Mill Creek. The’y used a horse 
cart, wheel barrow, and shovels to do the work. Great-grandfather put up 
a saw mill and grist mill at the west end of the dam and later a flour mill 


494 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


and rice mill at the east end. All the mills were powered by water. Trees 
were cut from the land and floated down the pond to the sawmill. In 1880 
a new house was built. Today, the house is the beautiful country home of 
J. 0. Ross and family. Mr. Ross, a nephew of Mr. Whiddon, purchased 
the home from the Whiddon estate after the death of Mr. Whiddon. Mr. 
Ross and Doctors W. F. and Charles Zimmerman own the Whiddon Mill 
Pond. The house is a large one and every piece, even the molding, was 
planed by hand. Great-grandfather was considered one of the best wood- 
workmen in the country. He cut, dressed and carved out his lumber. He 
told that he could shut his e'yes and see a building finished in every detail 
before he built it. Farming and stock raising provided his livelihood. 

In 1890 great-grandfather with the help of his children and other fam¬ 
ilies in the church, built Little River Church, which is today known as 
Hickory Spring Primitive Baptist Church. The large hickory tree stand¬ 
ing today in the cemetery grounds was his hitching post. 

For several years the children attended school three months out of the 
year at Muddy Head, a one-room log school house near the Mill Pond. 
Later a private teacher was employed who lived in the home. 

The home life of the family of James W. Whiddon was simple. They had 
no luxuries as we have today. For tubs to do the family washing, and to 
hold flour, meal, and syrup, large troughs were hewn from cypress trees. 
For light, string was spun for candles made from home grown wax. Prac¬ 
tically all food was grown and raised at home. Granulated sugar was un¬ 
known, but rock sugar from syrup barrels was eaten. Most of their clothes 
and household linens were spun and woven at home. A few items such as 
coffee and matches were bought from foot and horseback peddlers, or in 
the nearest towns, Ty Ty, Albany, and Hawkinsville. Trading in the towns 
was done only in the spring of the year. Crops were laid by in June, and 
wild game was hunted until time to gather the corn. Square dances, “run 
and jump” and stone marbles gave fun for their little leisure time. 

For many years the rural letter carrier rode horseback from Deep Creek 
post office in Dooley County (now Crisp County) three times a week to Hat 
post office, which was in the Whiddon home. During this time great-grand¬ 
father served as postmaster. Later David Whiddon my grandfather, and the 
third son of great-grandfather, became postmaster. He held this office for 
many years. During this time the post office was moved to Ruby, Ga. (now 
Chula, Ga.), and the name was changed to Rub’y post office, and later to 
Chula post office. 

Albert Whiddon, David’s oldest son, was postmaster for many years. For 
the past thirty years Alonzo E. Whiddon, David’s second son, has served 
as postmaster at the office in Chula, Ga. 

Great-grandmother, Lucy Branch Whiddon, was a woman of large statue. 
Those who knew her say that she was very sympathetic, kind, generous and 
very talkative. She was alwa’ys ready to lay aside her work to administer 
to the sick. She knew all the locally grown healing herbs from which she 
made salves and ointments. She was a good old-time cook, and when her 
grandchildren visited in her home she took them to her cupboard at once. 

Great-grandfather was a tall well-built man. He was a man of few words. 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


495 


He had a way of finding out all anyone knew by telling little of what he 
knew. He refused to make a reply when asked a foolish question. He be¬ 
lieved in justice and peace. He was very ambitious for the education of 
his children. He kept lumber seasoned ready for caskets, which he made 
and gave to both white and colored. 

Lucy Branch Whiddon died October 25, 1916, and James W. Whiddon 
died June 7, 1924. Their graves are in Hickor'y Springs Cemetery. 

Following are the names of the children of James W. Whiddon and Lucy 
Branch Whiddon: 

John J. Whiddon, born March 19, 1857, married Jane Sumner. 

William Whiddon, born January 31, 1859, married Jane Easters. 

David Whiddon, born December 18, 1860, married Priscilla Young. 

Una Whiddon, born January 25, 1863, married John Vickers. 

Dempsey Whiddon, born January 25, 1863, married Ava J. Vickers. 

Georgia Ann Whiddon, born June 9, 1865, married George Cravey. 

James B. Whiddon, born July 7, 1867, married Mollie Paulk. 

Lula Whiddon, born June 21, 1869, married Tom Perry. 

Reecy Whiddon, born December 1, 1871, married James Goodwin. 

Lott Whiddon, born March 12, 1874, married Emma Fletcher. 

Luc’y Whiddon, born March 4, 1876. 

Annibell Whiddon, born August 20, 1878. 

Benjamin F. Whiddon, born May 27, 1882, married Mary Young. 

Following are the names of the grandchildren living in Tift County: 

Emmill Haywood Whiddon, born July 1, 1897, married Ethel McGill. 

John Edward Whiddon, born February 16, 1888, married Mattie Godboldt. 
W. Nichols Whiddon, born August 17, 1892, married Ocie Bell McCord. 
Alonzo E. Whiddon, born October 11, 1885, married Annie Lou Leach. 

Alice L. Whiddon, born October 23, 1887, married Dr. W. E. Tyson. 

Clifford G. Whiddon, born August 22, 1897, married Cora Louise Buch¬ 
anan. 

Arthur Jack Whiddon, born March 25, 1886, married Nora Phillips. 

Martha Van Whiddon, born Jul'y 30, 1887, married Tullie Sutton, and 
Tom Stowers. 

Ave Jane Whiddon, born July 7, 1893, married James A. Akins. 

David C. Whiddon, born December 23, 1900, married Blanche Clyatt. 

Ora E. Cravey, born in 1891, married Bill Branch. 

Abie J. Cravey, born in August, 1898, married Bessie Payne. 

Joe L. Cravey, born in 1901, married Iva Cox. 

James Richard Goodwin, born February 6, 1894, married Edna Dewey 
Smith. 

Jacob Vinson Goodwin, born January 11, 1897, married Minnie Douglas. 

Otis Grady Goodwin, born May 9, 1905, married Naomi.. 

Lucile Whiddon Goodwin, born April 12 1907, married Omar Shiver. 

Frankie L. Goodwin, born January 29, 1913, married Harold Turk. 

Clarence Orvin Whiddon, born February 14,1904. 

Those grandchildren who served from Tift County in World War I, are 
as follows: Clifford Grady Whiddon, Quarmaster Corps, Army, overseas. 



496 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


Emmill Haywood Whiddon, navy; John Edward Whiddon, army; Lemmie 
M. Whiddon, army; Claude Whiddon, nav'y; James Richard Goodwin, army; 
Vincent Goodwin, army; Leon D. Whiddon served in the armv in World 
War II. 

The great-grandchildren from Tift County who served in World War II 
are as follows: Hinton Goodwin, army; Wayne Goodwin, merchant ma¬ 
rine; Donald Tyson, marines (overseas); Orman Whiddon, army (over¬ 
seas) ; Raymond Whiddon, army; Ralph Whiddon, army; Oslin D. Whid¬ 
don, army; Ordway Whiddon, army (overseas) ; Haywood Whiddon, son 
of Emmill Haywood Whiddon and Ethel McGill Whiddon, joined the army 
in April 1942. He was Technician 5th Grade, in the Medical Corps. He died 
January 28, 1945 on Luzon Island, where he had served for three years. 

Numbers of other great-grandsons, who lived in other parts of the state, 
served in World War II. 

The Whiddon family were of substantial, common, people, the backbone 
of the country. This large family is, and has been, represented in many 
walks of life. They have been invariably a people simple in their life and 
tastes, but useful to the community. 

CHESLEY ANDERSON WILLIAMS 

In the early part of the nineteenth century there lived in Akin County, 
South Carolina, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. To him and his wife 
was born, in Akin County, on October 15, 1815, a son whom they named 
Hiram Williams. 

When twenty-five years old, Hiram went from Akin County to Dooly 
County, Georgia, where his first Georgia land purchase was Lot 233 in the 
Tenth District of Dooly. This he bought from the Collins, and thereon he 
built his rift board home at the site later that of the refugee home of Gov¬ 
ernor Joseph E. Brown, and still later that of the Cordele hotel called 
the Suannee House. 

Hiram upon arrival in Georgia taught school. Thereafter he represented 
Dooly County in the Legislature in 1865-6, 1868-9, 1873-4. A dauntless and 
courageous man, he was loyal to the South at a time when loyalty required 
courage. 

In 1841, Hiram Williams married Sarah Jane Warren, daughter of 
James Warren, whose wife prior to her marriage, had been a Miss Sted- 
man, of South Carolina. Sarah’s ancestors had migrated to America from 
Ireland, soon after the Revolutionary War, and were of a high social 
standing and of “integrity of purpose.” Hiram and Sarah lived at what 
was later known as the old C. C. Greer, Sr., place near Cordele. To them 
were born eleven children, all of whom lived to maturity and all of whom 
survived their father, who died in Dooly County, now Crisp, November 7, 
1899. These children were Senator Isaiah Williams, Chesley Anderson 
Williams, Hiram Williams, Jr., Lydia Williams (Mrs. Wheller), Warren 
Williams (D.D.S.), Grovan Williams, C. C. Williams, Jane Williams (Mrs. 
McKinney), Joseph R. Williams, D. J. Williams (D.D.S.) Nannie Williams 
(Mrs. Fenn), whose husband was of that Fenn family of which “Uncle 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


497 


Buddy Fenn” was a celebrated character, in Dooly. 

Of the above mentioned children, the second son, Chesley Anderson Wil¬ 
liams, came to what is now Tift County and here he carved for himself 
a permanent place in the annals of this community, where he was highly 
esteemed and much beloved. 

Born March 3, 1848, in Dooly County on the site now that of the Suannee 
House, Cordele, he lived in one of the only three houses within a radius of 
nearly fifteen miles. The other homes were those of the Hamiltons and the 
Smiths. His bo'yhood days were spent on his father’s farm which was in 
the midst of a vast pine forest spreading over what is now Cordele and 
environs. Deer and many kinds of wild beasts roamed the forests, in which 
also dwelt Indians. Far from civilization, nails were not easily obtained 
and the floor boards were not nailed in place; and often little Chesley would 
be awakened by the noise of the floor planks being displaced by wolves 
fighting beneath the house; for the house stood near what was called “Wolf 
Thicket.” 

Chesley, with his elder brother, Isaiah, and his younger brothers, Hiram. 
Warren and Grovan, and his sister, Lydia, attended famous “Oliver School,” 
the only Old Field School prior to the Sixties, in what is now Crisp County. 
It was near Cone'y, and was east of Gum Creek, at what was later the 
Oscar McKinney farm. The first teacher was Miss Amanda Fitzpatrick, of 
Crawford County. Many Oliver pupils became distinguished in the com¬ 
munity. Among these were John S. Pate, father of Ella Pate Carson, who 
married Briggs Carson, of Tifton. Mr. Pate was a boarding pupil at 
Oliver’s. 

Ches Williams was but a lad when the War Between the States broke. 
In those stirring times, in that wilderness, there remained little oppor¬ 
tunity for formal school. His father was captain of the Militia of the 
Tenth District. Isaiah was in the war and was orderly sergeant of his com¬ 
pany. Much work fell to the lot of Chesley, now the man at the home. He 
had to make the needed crops; but as he plowed he would prop his Blue 
Back Speller or some other book upon the cross bar of the plow and as he 
plowed would stud'y. 

In 1864 both Chesley and his younger brother, Hiram, Jr., joined the 
Confederate Army. Hiram was in Company H, 5th Georgia Reserves. 

Chesley Williams was in Company G, 60th Georgia Infantry, and was 
with the Army of Virginia, under General Robert E. Lee. He was under 
“Stonewall” Jackson, General John B. Gordon, and General Jubal Early. 
A lieutenant, Chesley kept a diar'y of his war experiences. Wounded at the 
Battle of Gettysburg, he lay hour upon hour in the relentless downpour of 
rain. He bore valiantly the pain of the wounded leg, but he long mourned 
the theft of his diary at that time. 

After partial recovery Lieutenant Williams in the last year of the war 
enlisted in the cavalry at Savannah. He was on his way to join General 
Lee when Lee surrendered, at Appomattox. 

The war over, C. A. Williams returned to his home and resumed farm¬ 
ing In 1867 he married Miss Martha Jane McMercer, whose name, in 
later times, was spelled Mercer. In 1880 or 1881 they moved to Sumner 


498 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


where he was in the mercantile business until 1889, at which time he 
moved to Tifton. In 1890 he built at Tifton the brick sales stable and livery 
stable, the town’s first brick building. 

Devoted to his mother, C. A. Williams provided her with articles con¬ 
sidered wonderful in that day in that remote community. They were the 
first cook stove, the first sewing machine and the first buggy owned by 
any of the family. These were treasures. Sarah had spun the thread for 
cloth which she had woven, and friends and relatives came great distances 
to watch her sew on the treasured new sewing machine. 

Fox hunts were the order of the day in Chesley’s time and he loved 
the chase. His granddaughter, Miss Eloise Roughton, of Tifton, owns an 
ingeniously carved cow-horn which belonged to her grandfather, C. A. 
Williams. The carving, done with a pocket knife, depicts deer, fish, a man 
on horseback, and a man hunting, and dogs. Also the dogs’ names are 
carved: Pomp, Blue, Buck and Bull'y. The first three belonged to Williams. 
The horn was a gift to Williams by J. J. Garrett, Christmas, 1894. 

C. A. Williams, and Martha Jane McMercer Williams had an only daugh¬ 
ter, Antoinette Tallulah, born February 1, 1868, about nine miles from 
Cordele. She was called Lula. She married Willie Thaddeus Roughton (born 
near Sandersville, Washington County, Georgia, died November, 1896). 
When a small boy Willie and his mother were left at home when his father 
was in the Confederate Army. During Sherman’s march, their house was 
raided, their stock taken. In a search for hidden valuables the commanding 
officer saw in a trunk in the attic Willie’s father’s Masonic paraphernalia. 
The officer was a Mason, and he ordered that the stock be returned, the 
house and its occupants be left unmolested; and he threw a guard around 
the house to see that his orders were carried out faithfully. Willie was a 
railroad engineer, and he and Lula Williams had two children, Eloise and 
Willie T., Jr., Willie T., Sr. was killed when struck by a train in a Savannah 
railroad yard. 

Chesley Williams was local commander of the Confederate veterans. 
Governor Nathaniel Harris visited Titfon in September of 1916, and C. A. 
Williams was chosen to introduce the speaker. This he did, at the large 
assembly at the courthouse. It was a glorious hour for the gallant veteran 
of more than seventy-two years; but it also was his last public appearance. 
The excitement was too much. Later that day he was stricken ill, and he 
died, at his home in Tifton Heights, November 4, 1916. A long procession 
of friends and loved ones followed him to his last resting place. The Char¬ 
lotte Carson Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy were in attend¬ 
ance; the old Confederate soldiers were present; and his pall-bearers were 
his former brothers-in-arms: R. A. Patrick, J. W. Bolton, B. N. Bowen, 
G. W. Montgomery, J. J. Baker, J. L. Rousseau. The casket was lowered 
into the grave just at sunset. 

When Chesley died Martha McMercer Williams became ill. She sur¬ 
vived her husband but three weeks, dying at their home, December 11, 1916. 

Lula Williams Roughton and her children, Eloise and Willie T., Jr., 
bought the house which had been the J. J. L. Phillips’ Tifton home. There 
they lived until Lula’s death, January 16, 1926. This house was later pur- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


499 


chased by the Twentieth Century Library Club and is now the Club House 
and Library. 

Eloise Roughton attended Wesleyan College. There she studied china 
painting, in which she has exceptional skill and artistry. She is otherwise 
gifted, especially in needle work and knitting. 

Willie T. Roughton, Jr., married Fannie Sue Stone. They live at Thomas- 
ville. 


CECILIA MATILDA BAYNARD WILLINGHAM 

Cecilia Matilda Baynard, born in Beaufort District, South Carolina, 
January 10, 1829, was one of five daughters of Archibald Calder Baynard 
(born Edisto Island, South Carolina, about 1797; honor graduate, Uni¬ 
versity of South Carolina, 1817; married, 1820; died 1865 or 1866, at 
Jerico Place, near Beaufort) and beautiful Martha Sarah Chaplin (born 
near Beaufort, November 5, 1805; died Tuesday morning April 23, 1889, 
Chattanooga, Tennessee; buried on Pound lot, Forest Hill Cemetery, Chat¬ 
tanooga). Archibald was a man of great scholarship and brilliance of 
mind, and was a member of the South Carolina Legislature. He was son 
of Thomas Baynard and Sarah Calder Baynard, and was a brother of 
John, William and Ephraim Mikell Baynard, the last, a liberal patron of 
Charleston College. Cecilia’s mother, Martha Sarah, was daughter of Ben¬ 
jamin Chaplin II, who was son of Benjamin Chaplin I, owner of Jerico 
Creek Plantation, Saint Helena’s Parish, now Beaufort County, South 
Carolina. She was noted for her beauty, and she inherited from her father 
a large landed estate. 

Cecilia attended the Charleston boarding school of Madamoiselle Bonne, 
a French woman, with an elite clientele. In later years Cecilia treasured 
a letter from her old teacher who wrote that Cecilia “was possessed of 
the most brilliant mind, and was the most thorough pupil” she had ever 
taught. 

Thomas Willingham (born July 12, 1825, at Lawtonville, South Carolina; 
attended Penfield Academy; attended Hamilton College, now Colgate Uni¬ 
versity, New York) and Cecilia set up housekeeping in a small new house 
which Thomas built on his plantation known as Mill Place, in Barnwell 
District. In about 1853 he built for Cecilia a large and handsome three- 
story mansion at Sm'yrna. Here was born to them on June 30, 1860, a 
dughter, Elizabeth, named for Cecilia’s sister who married Thomas’s broth¬ 
er, Benjamin Willingham. Bessie, as Elizabeth was called, was Thomas’s 
and Cecilia’s sixth daughter. When grown she married H. H. Tift, the 
founder of Tifton. At Smyrna was born on March 7, 1862, Florene Martha 
Willingham, who was named for Cecilia’s sister who married another 
brother of Thomas, Winborn Joseph Willingham. Florie Willingham mar¬ 
ried Dr. W. L. Pickard, eminent Baptist preacher and president of Mercer 
University. 

Cecilia and Thomas and their children, near the end of the War Between 
the States, refugeed from Smyrna to a plantation which Thomas owned 
in Mitchell County, Georgia, near what is now Baconton. Later Thomas’s 


500 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


and Cecilia’s eldest daughter, Sallie, married Dr. Edwin H. Bacon, and 
they lived at Eastman. Sallie’s sister, Julia, married Ed’s brother, Wallace 
Winn Bacon, afterward prominent as a physician in Albany. Ed and Wal¬ 
lace were first cousins of the distinguished Senator A. O. Bacon who was 
partly reared by their father, because, A. O.’s parents had died during his 
infancy. A. 0. spent part of the time with another uncle, the head of a 
Georgia school famous in its day, but now no longer existing. A. O.’s par¬ 
ents are buried at Midway. 

From Mitchell County the Willinghams moved to another plantation 
which Thomas owned in Daugherty County. Near Albany, this was former¬ 
ly owned by the Barksdales, and on it was the beautiful Blue Springs, at 
present widely known as Radium Springs. 

Before the War Between the States Thomas was said to be the third 
wealthiest man in South Carolina. Cecilia’s uncle, Ephriam Mikell Bay- 
nard, was reputed second wealthiest. B'y the war, which freed the slaves, 
Thomas lost heavily, but he afterward made another substantial fortune. 
He had extensive land holdings in South Carolina and near Albany. Much 
of his land he sold and invested heavily in large bearing orange groves in 
Florida. Almost immediately afterward came the Florida freeze which killed 
his trees. Overnight he lost a fortune. 

In ill health, Thomas and Cecilia and their youngest child, Pearl, went 
to Atlanta, although they still maintained their Albany home. They stayed 
with Thomas’s and Cecilia’s daughter, Fetie, and her husband, Cornelius 
Daniel, at their home, at 100 Forest Avenue. 

It had long been the wont of the Willinghams to hold daily family prayer. 
On May 29, 1891, at Fetie’s, Thomas and Cecilia had been praying. Then 
Cecilia spoke to Thomas. He made no answer. Touching him, she realized 
he was dead. 

Cecelia made her home in Atlanta for a time with her eldest son, Thomas 
Willingham, C. S. A., who after the war, practiced law in Macon, in At¬ 
lanta and at Dallas, Texas. After his death his orphaned children moved 
to Eastman where they were reared by the Ed Bacons. Cecilia then visited 
among her numerous offspring, but soon began to call the home of her 
daughter, Bessie Tift, at Tifton, HOME. There she lived many happy 
years. She was gifted in all the household arts, was a convincing speaker, 
and in her early days was an accomplished equestrienne, and swimmer, in 
a day when most women did not swim. (Her handwriting was so beautiful 
and her letters were so neat and her phrases so felicitously turned and 
her English so smoothly flowing that one would need see her letters to 
appreciate her ease with the pen.) Yet it was not altogether her accom¬ 
plishments which won for Cecilia the high esteem received from all who 
knew her. Hers was a strength of character not often met, and in her 
latter days she was a woman of deep piety. 

In March of 1914, Cecilia had visited her friend Mrs. Briggs Carson. 
She crossed the street intending to call on a sick friend, Mrs. Goodman, 
wife of Tifton’s pioneer physician. There was a step down into the yard. 
Cecilia missed her footing and fell. Her hip was broken. She was rushed 
on a special train to Atlanta, but she died there, in the Piedmont Sani- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


501 


tarium, on April 11, 1914, about two weeks after the accident. Burial was 
beside Thomas, in Albany. 

To Thomas and Cecilia Baynard Willingham were born seventeen chil¬ 
dren. Fourteen grew to maturity and all of these attended private schools 
and college. Most of them were graduated from college, and many of them 
with highest honor. 

Children of Thomas Henry Willingham and Cecilia Ba'ynard Willing¬ 
ham were: 1, Thomas Willingham IV (married Mildred Lawton); 2, Sarah 
Jane (marriel Dr. Edwin H. Bacon, of Eastman) ; 3, Margaret (married 
T. 0. B. Wood, of South Carolina) ; 4, Julia Baynard (married Dr. Wallace 
Winn Bacon, of Albany) ; 5, Anna Cornelia (married Cornelius J. Daniel, 
of Atlanta) ; 6, Cecilia Matilda (at birth so small that she slept in her 
mother’s key basket, lived to be a normal-sized child, died of diphtheria, 
aged twelve years) ; 7, Benjamin Lawton (married Margaret Wood) ; 8, 
William Baynard (married Emma Davis, of Albany) ; 9, Elizabeth (called 
Bessie, married Henry Harding Tift, founder of Tifton) ; 10, Florence 
Martha (called Florie, married William Lowndes Pickard, D.D., LL.D.); 
11, John Calhoun (died young); 12, Mamie (died young); 13, Belle Tift 
(married William Lawrence, skilled on the violin); 14, Winborn Joseph 
(married Katherine Couric, niece of Governor Shorter, of Alabama) ; 15, 
Ba'ynard (married Lucile Doty, musician) ; 16, Calder (died young) ; 17, 
Pearl (married Irvine W. Myers, of Tifton). 

MARGARET WILLINGHAM WOOD 

Margaret Willingham, daughter of Thomas III, and Cecilia Baynard 
Willingham, was born at Smyrna, near Allendale, South Carolina, March 
26, 1850. She attended Monroe Female College, Forsyth, and Andrews 
Female College, Cuthbert, where she graduated with first honor. Soon 
afterward she married handsome and dashing Thomas 0. B. Wood, of 
South Carolina, her marriage being considered the brilliant social event 
of that season. The Woods lived at Smyrna, Thomas’s former home, until 
it was destroyed by fire. They later lived in Atlanta, and then moved to 
Tifton where they leased the Vickers’ house (now the Briggs Carson, Sr. 
home) on Sixth Street. They later bought the large A. O. Tift home on 
Love Avenue (now the Hendricks’ home). Mr. Wood died and T. J., who 
managed his mother’s business, sold the home. Maggie moved into Bessie 
Tift’s guest apartment which was next door to the H. H. Tifts on Second 
Street. Here Maggie remained until her death in Tifton, March 28, 1926. 
Burial was at Tifton. 

Children of Margaret and T. O. B. Wood were: 1, Thomas J. Wood; 
2, Margaret (Marg. married Waring Lawton) ; 3, Cecilia (married Joseph 
Tabor); 4, Anna Cornelia (died unmarried). 

ELBERT EDMUND YOUMANS 

Elbert Edmund Youmans, son of James Stephen Youmans and Elizabeth 
Cleland Youmans, was born near Beaufort, South Carolina, January 12, 


502 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


1851. When four years old he moved with his parents to Pierce County, 
Georgia. Later he moved to Appling County, Georgia, where he married 
Miss Mary Elizabeth O’Quinn, of Appling County, daughter of Jackson 
and Delilah McCall O’Quinn, both of whom were born, died and are buried 
in Appling County. Mary Elizabeth O’Quinn was born August 31, 1848. 
She and E. E. Youmans were married February 5, 1871. 

E. E. farmed at Jesup, then moved to Screven, in Wayne County, Geor¬ 
gia, where he was in the mercantile business, in which he also engaged 
when he moved to Alapaha, and thence to Nashville, whence he came to 
Tifton, about 1890. At Tifton Mr. Youmans was with Love and Buck, a 
firm of wholesale grocers. The Youmans lived on Love Avenue, Tifton. 

About 1893 E. E. Youmans built, several miles from town, a large white 
two-story house which thereafter for many years was the Youmans home. 
This home was later sold to Miss Ida Dickerson who operated a dairy farm. 
Later still it was bought by Ralph Walton, a farmer, and while he was 
living there the place was destroyed by fire. At that large country house 
was dispensed a hearty and gracious hospitality, and the rooms were filled 
with the laughter of jolly young people; for Mr. and Mrs. Youmans had 
twelve children, a jolly brood, and their parents delighted in providing 
those things which would contribute to their happiness. 

After several 'years with Love and Buck, E. E. Youmans opened in 
Tifton his own market which he operated for about twenty years. In his 
old age he sold the market and thereafter served as Justice of the Peace 
until his death, August 27, 1933, at Tifton. Burial was at Tifton. Mary 
Elizabeth O’Quinn died at Tifton, March 13, 1938. 

Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Youmans were a devoted couple and their golden 
wedding anniversary was a family event of outstanding importance. It 
was celebrated by a large reception tendered them by their daughters, 
Mrs. George Coleman, Mrs. Leonidas Clifton Spires, and their son, Stephen 
A. Youmans, at the home of Mrs. Spires. 

Other anniversaries were celebrated. On the sixtieth wedding anniversary, 
Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Coleman entertained with a large reception at their 
Tifton home. On the sixty-second wedding anniversary Mrs. Spires honored 
them with a large turkey dinner at her home where many friends and rela¬ 
tives assembled. 

Children of E. E. and Mary Elizabeth O’Quinn Youmans are: 1, Stephen 
A. Youmans (who became Tifton’s City Manager) ; 2, Laura Elizabeth, 
who married William Henry Sneed (they celebrated their golden wedding 
at a reception at the Woman’s Club, in Nashville, Georgia, 1938) ; 3, Carl 
Jackson (died, aged two years) ; 4, Minnie Belle (married Leonidas Clifton 
Spires); 5, Nettie Florence (married J. L. Mathis) ; 6, Sarah (married 
J. T. Mathis); 7, Lester Grace, a Valdosta dentist; 8, Ella Callie (mar¬ 
ried George Washington Coleman, Tifton City Manager) ; 9, Edmund 
Bryant (lives at Miami); 10, Thomas Gelzer (lives at Miami) ; 11, Elbert 
James (lives at Miami) ; 12, Henry Oswald (died in Valdosta, September 
26,1936). 

J. L. Mathis and J. T. Mathis, husbands of Nettie and Sarah Youmans. 
were not related. Mary Elizabeth O’Quinn was not of the immediate fam- 


HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY 


503 


il'y of the school-teacher John O’Quinn, here in Tifton’s early days. The 
Tift County farmers, Elias and Silas, were very distant cousins. John 
moved away, but Silas and Elias continued in Tift County where their 
descendants still live. 











































mmt • • ■ 























































'• - 














































































' ~ 






V-. 
































































. 









































































































. 































































